Sharon has apparently abrogated Oslo, doing so unilaterally. Khaled Amayreh reports Click to view caption Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has declared the Oslo agreement with the PLO "dead" and "non-existent". In an interview with the Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv on 6 September, Sharon declared that "Oslo doesn't exist, Camp David doesn't exist, Taba doesn't exist; we are not going back to those places." On the same day, he told the Israeli state- run radio that "no settlements, even the rogue ones, will be dismantled," arguing that this would be seen by the Palestinians as a sign of weakness. Since coming to office in March 2001, Sharon has adamantly opposed the Oslo agreements and has viewed as anathema the concept of reconciliation between Israel and the Palestinians based on the land-for-peace formula and the two-state solution in accordance with UN Resolutions 242 and 338. However, it was the first time the Israeli premier had declared in no uncertain terms that he was no longer bound by agreements that previous Israeli governments had signed with the Palestinians. Sharon's unilateral annulment of the Oslo agreement drew virtually no objections from the sponsors of the peace process, including the United States, the European Union and the United Nations, accentuating what some observers described as the international community's duplicity in dealing with Israel and the Arabs. Only Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat denounced Sharon's remarks, saying the Oslo accords were an international, not a bilateral Israeli-Palestinian agreement. "These are international agreements and we remain committed to them," declared Arafat in a speech to the Palestinian Legislative Council in Ramallah on 9 September. Looking tired, Arafat condemned suicide bombings against Israeli civilians, arguing that such attacks gave Israel a pretext to murder Palestinian civilians and terrorise the Palestinian civilian population. "We stress our condemnation of attacks on civilians, Israelis and Palestinians alike." Speaking to nearly 60 lawmakers -- Israel barred 14 lawmakers from travelling to Ramallah, claiming they were involved in terrorist acts -- Arafat spoke about the killing and maiming of "66,000 Palestinians by the Israeli army" since the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising nearly two years ago. Referring to the wanton destruction of much of Nablus' old town, Arafat reminded the Israelis that "this is the town where the Patriarch Abraham and his children lived." He reiterated his belief that the Palestinians were sha'b al-jabbarin, "the irrepressible people", saying no amount of Israeli pressure would make the Palestinians "flinch from their strategic goal: the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital". Arafat also indicated that the general and municipal elections, which he said would take place in January, might not be held if Israeli troops remained entrenched in Palestinian population centres. Hamas, Arafat's main ideological rival, described the speech as "futile", saying "it contained nothing that would advance the interests of the Palestinian people." Ostracised by the United States, sidelined by Israel and effectively left alone by an Arab world paralysed by the prospects of an American invasion of Iraq, Arafat tacitly recognised that his popularity was dwindling and that his own people were shunning him. He told the councilors half-jokingly to "take this business of leadership and give me a rest". Arafat does not appear ready to call it a day, however. He demonstrated that again in his speech by ignoring increasing demands by lawmakers to appoint a prime minister who would be answerable to the legislative council. Arafat told the council that such a suggestion would have to be considered "in light of the law", which stipulates that the president is the prime minister. Despite Arafat's unequivocal condemnation of suicide bombings and conciliatory gestures to the Israeli people, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said Israel would judge Arafat by his actions, not by his words. Israeli actions this week certainly spoke volumes. There were several devastating incursions by the Israeli army into central and southern Gaza which killed five Palestinians. Several multi-storey buildings were dynamited and hundreds of palm and other fruit trees uprooted. Palestinian leaders viewed the nearly daily incursions as amounting to a gradual reoccupation of Gaza, although without the permanent deployment of Israeli tanks in the streets of the city. Meanwhile, Israel placed population centres under round-the-clock curfew, barring nearly a million school boys and girls from attending classes. The Israeli army said the measure was necessary to enable Israeli Jews to celebrate the Hebrew new year, a justification viewed by the Palestinians as adding insult to injury. "By what moral standards are hundreds of thousands of innocent people imprisoned in their homes on no grounds other than the Jews are observing a holiday," said Nablus Governor Mahmoud Aloul. Also this week, the Israeli army released a report on the killings of some 40 Palestinian civilians by the Israeli army between 1 August and 5 September, blaming the victims for their own death. The report said Israeli soldiers involved in the killings acted properly in accordance with standing instructions. Palestinian official Ahmed Abdul-Rahman sarcastically described the report as "telling the truth". "We all know that killing Palestinian civilians in cold blood by Israeli soldiers is always carried out in accordance with standing instructions," Abdul-Rahman said. "That's why the report concluded the soldiers acted properly."
