Israeli tanks moved into central Gaza Strip early Monday, hours before Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was set to ask his parliament to outlaw suicide bombings and reaffirm a commitment to peace with Israel, AP reported.
A draft copy of the speech Arafat was to make at the meeting of the Palestinian parliament Monday was given to The Associated Press by his office. It said that the world was waiting for a clear signal the Palestinians saw peaceful negotiations as the way to resolve their dispute with Israel.
"The Palestinian people are standing against all types of terrorism, whether it is state terror or individual terror," the text said. "The Palestinian Legislative Council has to protect Palestinian national interests through final recognition of the state of Israel and the right of its people to live in peace and security."
The speech also claimed that Palestinian bomb attacks gave Israel justification for harsh retaliation. "Suicide attacks against Israeli civilians in buses, restaurants, cafes and universities give the Israeli government the ability to hide its crimes," the draft said.
The 88-seat Palestinian assembly in its meeting was to discuss Palestinian elections. "The government program will be submitted in a speech given by President Arafat," Palestinian cabinet minister Saeb Erekat told Israeli TV on Sunday. "Then there will be on the agenda also the Palestinian election law and programs of reform."
The legislators will discuss procedures for holding presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections due by January 2003.
Palestinian officials said some lawmakers want to raise the idea of electing a prime minister who would actively head the government, while Arafat, as president, became titular head of state with little or no executive power.
That idea has been suggested by the United States and Israel but the Palestinians have not endorsed it.
Violence
Violence continued Sunday ahead of the parliamentary session. Palestinian security officials said two people were killed by Israeli tank fire in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, as Israeli forces advanced along the main Gaza road, encircling three refugee camps.
Israeli military sources said troops identified two men on foot moving under cover of darkness toward the fence between Israeli and Palestinian territory and opened fire. Palestinian sources said ten people were wounded overnight Sunday during Israeli raids in the central Gaza Strip.
Residents of the Bourej camp said soldiers ordered families out of a two-story house where a Palestinian activist lived and blew up the building. The activist has been underground for several months, the residents said.
Troops searched the Nusseirat camp, across the main highway from Bourej, residents said, and also surrounded the nearby Mughazi camp.
Israeli military sources said the operation in Gaza Strip was local, not an attempt to reoccupy the area. When the mission was completed, the soldiers would withdraw, he said.
The Palestinian Security Directorate called the Israeli military activity "dangerous escalation" and an Israeli attempt to "sabotage all efforts by the Palestinian Authority to implement the understanding" to ease tensions in Gaza by turning areas back to Palestinian control.
Sharon-Abu Mazen
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is expected to meet with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's deputy, Mahmoud Abbas (Abu mazen), in the upcoming days to try to find a way to end two years of fighting, a high-ranking Palestinian official said Monday.
Sharon's advisers had no immediate comment, but the Israeli premier said recently that for the first time in months he sees an opportunity to end the violence and return to peace talks.
Sharon has also said that he is willing to hold talks with a senior Palestinian official who he said had contacted him. The Prime Minister did not name the official, but said it was not Arafat, according to AP. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
