Official PA radio news: The Voice of Palestine: January 22

Summary and Analysis

VOP featured comments from several high-level PA officials participating in talks with Israel who took a generally pessimistic view of the negotiations, while advancing a firm Palestinian bargaining stance.

Jibril Rajoub said the PA was demanding that Israel stop assassinations and stop chasing anyone involved in intifada activities. Nabil Shaath and Ahmad Qreia reiterated that the PA was insisting on UN resolutions-not any American plan-as the basis for talks, and they stressed a complete right of return for Palestinian refugees to homes they left in 1948.

Monday Morning News Round-up Headlines

• “Muhammad al-Sharif, a 15-year-old child joined the ranks of the intifada martyrs when he was struck by bullets in the head and chest and the Mintar crossing point;
• Occupation authorities shell the northern approaches to el-Bireh and Silwad in an attempt to invade it;
• the marathon talks began yesterday in Taba, and the sessions lasted until dawn;
• His excellency President Yasser Arafat asserted Palestinian rejection of Israeli conditions being set for the talks, and his excellency said what is demanded of the talks is an agreement in the shortest time possible;
• A political-security meeting near Ramallah last night, and the Israeli position remains unchanged regarding the continuation of the aggression;
• Israeli judges once again stand by the criminals among the settlers, and the murderer of Hilmi Shusha is sentenced to service duties to society despite having caused the death of the Hilmi the martyr;
• The journalist of the (Israeli) newspaper Ha’aretz, Gideon Levi asks ‘how can Israel demand that the Palestinian Authority stop what it calls terror when it (Israel) is silent before the terror of the settlers;
• Israeli political and security institutions continue their attacks on the Islamic properties (waqf) in Jerusalem.;

Monday Morning Bulletin Headlines, 7 a.m. / 9 a.m.

• “The martyring of young man Muhammad Sharif from Gaza yesterday who was struck by two bullets in the head and the chest;
• His Excellency President Yasser Arafat declares Israel’s obligations to carry out agreements without any conditions as imposed by Prime Minister Ehud Barak;
• His excellency received at his headquarters last night the special UN representative, Terry Larsen;
• Iraqi cabinet demands that the UN allow Iraq to send financial aid to the Palestinian people;
• Iraqi anti-aircraft guns open ire on American and British planes over southern and northern Iraq;
• Four minors were injured when they were struck by a military car near Nablus;
• Israeli occupation forces carried out a vicious shelling of houses in the prefect of El-Bireh last night;
• Violent confrontations between occupation soldiers last night and the residents of the town of Silwad;
• Israeli military sources say that an Israeli soldier was wounded severely by an explosion near the settlement of Netzarim which was built on the land of citizens in the prefect of Gaza;
• Dr. Nabil Shaath, the Minister of Economic Development, characterized the session of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations last night in Taba as ‘not encouraging‘, and he said the session today would be long.;
• From his perspective, Ahmad Qreia, head of the negotiating team, said he hoped the talks today would be serious.saying the teams would split into two sets of talks, the first one dealing with refugees and the second dealing with Jerusalem, borders and security;
• Col. Jibril Rajoub, head of counter-intelligence in the West Bank, estimated that there was a lack of confidence in the Israelis regarding the stopping of assassinations and the pursuit (note: may connote physical or prosecutorial pursuit) of (Palestinian) citizens;
• A big explosion hit Teheran last night, but no reports of damage or injuries, as the Mujahideen al-Halq take credit for the operation;
• In Manila, the legal proceedings begin against Former President Estrada.”

Quotes from answer by Arafat to reporters’ questions last night concerning Barak’s setting conditions (broadcast 7:30 a.m.)

“First of all we began the Oslo agreements and the agreements of Sharm al-Sheikh-I (i.e. the first Sharm summit pact) and Sharm al-Sheikh-II. And the first Sharm al-Sheikh took place, and the second Sharm al-Sheikh involved the presence of President Clinton and King Abdullah and Mr. Kofi Anan and Mr. Samir Solana and with the leadership of President Mubarak, and with the presence of the Israeli delegation with Mr. Barak and the presence of the Palestinian delegation with Yasser Arafat. Therefore, the talk about new conditions is very strange. Therefore they have to carry out what was agreed-an exact and reliable execution (of the terms) of what was agreed.”

Asked about the talks Arafat said:
“Our goal is to achieve an agreement in as short a time as possible.”

Quotes from Interview with Jibril Rajoub, 7:35 a.m.

“First, there have been three political-security meetings based on the American initiative presented by the head of the CIA. And the goal of these meetings-to our way of thinking-is to act to stop the aggression, the siege, the lock-down, the pressure to which the Palestinian people is being subjected in all avenues of daily life.”

Question: “Have there been any changes in the Israeli stances?”

Answer: “Up to now, the Israeli position has not reached the level of the goals, not in stopping aggression and in terms of political actions. The fundamental thing is that the Israelis have not respected any obligation, any undertaking, any agreement. Stopping the current condition is seriously bound up and linked with stopping the Occupation.”

Question: “Did the Israelis talk about what happened to their agents?”

Answer: “Inside the regions of the (Palestinian) Authority, there is sovereignty of law. Anyone who oversteps the law will not have any immunity. No one has immunity. Even an Israeli who is in our territory and oversteps the law, we will take them to court. This is a closed subject. This is about the sovereignty of the Palestinian Authority in the territory of the Authority.”