US Secretary of State Colin Powell told Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Sunday, February 25, that Israel was demanding he take clear action against violence before it lifts crippling economic measures against the occupied territories, an Israeli official said.
Powell explained to Arafat during a meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah that Israel was demanding he "make an unequivocal public declaration to stop violence" and that his Palestinian Authority "take action to stop the incitement," a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon said in a statement.
Israel is also demanding that Israelis and Palestinians renew security coordination on the ground, the statement said. "If these actions are executed then the transfer of goods and raw materials will be allowed, as will the controlled entry of workers into Israel," it said.
The statement said Powell spoke by telephone with Sharon after the Ramallah meeting to tell him he "conveyed to Mr. Arafat the steps he needs to take so that Israel will ease various restrictions, as has been planned if the violence stops."
Powell, who also met Sunday with Sharon on a three-day tour of the Middle East, earlier called for an end to violence and the lifting of the Israeli "siege" of the Palestinian territories, saying he expressed his concerns to Sharon.
"I would like to express my deep concern for the dire economic situation everyday Palestinians must bear. It is my view that economic pressure leads to an overall deterioration of the situation in the territories (and) poses real hardship on Palestinian families," he said at a joint news conference with Arafat.
He added that the economic siege "undermines relations between the Palestinians and Israelis and does nothing to quiet the security situation in the region."
Israel has also held back $50 million in tax revenue to the Palestinians, a move the United States fears could lead to the crumbling of the Palestinian Authority and anarchy in the territories.
Since the anti-Israeli occupation erupted in late September, the unemployment rate has reached 60 percent in the Gaza Strip and 40 percent in the West Bank, compared with 11 percent before violence began, according to the United Nations.
Citing security concerns, Israel has frequently slapped restrictions on the 100,000 Palestinians who worked in the Jewish state before the intifada. — (AFP, Jerusalem)
© Agence France Presse 2001
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
