CAIRO: Israel appears to tacitly approve of the creation of a Palestinian state on land controlled by the Palestinian Authority (PA) after reports came out in the press that Israel and the PA were on the verge of agreeing to create a Palestinian state in the West Bank. "Israel is not against the creation of a Palestinian state in land under PA control, Israeli embassy spokeswoman Shani Cooper-Zubida told Daily News Egypt. Local press in Cairo reported that a high level Palestinian source divulged that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert were preparing a joint document for the upcoming US-sponsored peace conference that might entertain the possibility of initially creating a Palestinian state in the West Bank. The alleged arrangement sidelines Gaza, which is under the control of Hamas, an organization shunned by both Israel and Fatah. The proposal represents a joint agreement that would signal the creation of a Palestinian state while ensuring the security of Israel. "The paper will deal with the principles of permanent status and the establishment of a Palestinian State in territories that are in PA control, Cooper-Zubida said. "Up until now nothing has been signed, she added, "but there are continued discussions regarding the joint paper. Olmert said at a Kadima party meeting yesterday that although an agreement could be reached, it would be non-binding, deflating hopes for an agreement ahead of the peace conference which both parties would act upon. "There are reports that we have reached an agreement on principles that just has to be fine-tuned. But we are talking about a joint statement that I hope will be the headline of the international peace conference in Washington in November. But there is a difference between an agreement on principles and a declaration of intent, AP cited a participant at the meeting as quoting Olmert. Professor of political science at the American University in Cairo Waleed Kazziha dismissed the idea of a joint agreement on a state in the West Bank as no more than political posturing. He told Daily News Egypt that "all this is a political maneuver which is very short sighted. The first step is to eliminate Hamas by hook or by crook. The objective is not a Palestinian State or to achieve anything. Rather, the objective is to make Abbas happy and allow Israel to prolong any final decisions until doomsday. "The whole point is to squeeze Hamas until suffocation, he added. "As for Abbas, his real position is that of survival. Kazziha felt that these efforts to sidestep Hamas will not be successful. "Fatah will not last, he said. "The coming period is the time of the Islamists, whether we like it or not and if we don't, then tough. They are the only game in town. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will meet with Palestinian and Israeli officials when she visits the region on Tuesday in preparation for the conference, which is due to take place in Washington this coming November.
