IMRA spoke with Amjad Hidmi, an Information Specialist at the United States Information Service at the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem, in English, on March 3:

IMRA: I have been going through the data bases I have and I am trying to find an instance that the United State explicitly stated that there was a Palestinian violation of anything in the Oslo Agreement and I can’t find it. I was hoping that you might be able to help me out.

HIDMI: Violation of what?

IMRA: The Oslo Agreement. I have found such phrases as “we are not happy” or “more could be done” but I have not succeeded in finding even one instance that the U.S. actually called something an out and out violation. I looked back at the compliance reports which the State Department sent to the Senate, for example, and in every case they certified that the Palestinians were complying.

Has the US ever stated explicitly that the Palestinians violated anything?

HIDMI: Your question is difficult. We can help you find answers for what the US position is on Jerusalem, for example. We can find a text on that.

IMRA: Is there a text where the United States Government stated that the Palestinians made any violations?

HIDMI: I am not sure. There might be. But to look for it would be difficult. I will check with the Consul. I don’t think that he will be able to help you out on this because the information you are looking for is difficult to track.

IMRA: I guess what puzzles me is that I checked the reports and I figured that the State Department reports submitted to the Senate on compliance – since that was their explicit purpose – to report if the Palestinians were violating. So I thought that if there was going to be a statement about Palestinian noncompliance anywhere that it would be there. And they never say in those reports that there were any Palestinian violations.

HIDMI: That’s right. There might have been statements by the State Department Spokesman in the past but its going to be difficult to look or them. I am sure there might be statements.

IMRA: But in terms of reports themselves.

HIDMI: You’ve got to look at the human rights report.

IMRA: I am not talking about the human rights reports, I am talking about Palestinian compliance.

HIDMI: If its not there its going to be difficult to track. Let me check.

IMRA: The first thing I thought of was the compliance reports but in the compliance reports the United States always says that they comply. There is never any citation of noncompliance.

HIDMI: Yes. yes. I am going to try and find out if there is any other report bedsides the Compliance Act report and Human Rights report.

IMRA: Human rights is a different issue. I am only talking about violations of the Oslo agreements.

HIDMI: I doubt that you can find any. Because I monitor the Washington file which is the daily news service from Washington, which includes the Spokesman’s remarks and I don’t think that he has ever said that the PLO or the Palestinian Authority has violated the Oslo Accords. There might have been criticisms but I don’t think that you are going to find the wording ‘violations” there. I will get back to you.

Dr. Aaron Lerner,
Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
P.O.BOX 982 Kfar Sava
Tel: (+972-9) 760-4719
Fax: (+972-9) 741-1645
imra@netvision.net.il

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