Palestinians critical of Israeli order on outposts

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The Palestinian Authority on Monday criticised Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's order to remove four unauthorised settlement outposts under a US-backed peace “roadmap” as nothing more than a publicity stunt. “I think the world is sick and tired of these public relations stunts — Israelis moving a caravan here and a caravan there,” Palestinian Negotiating Minister Saeb Erekat told reporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Two members of Sharon's Cabinet said the government was moving too slowly in carrying out a commitment to remove unauthorised settlement outposts from occupied territory.

The ministers spoke in interviews with Israel Radio after Sharon signed an order to accelerate the removal of the four outposts — only one of them inhabited — in accordance with the roadmap.

A senior adviser to Sharon said more would be dismantled in the future but gave no date.

The roadmap, stalled by violence, calls for Israel to dismantle all outposts built since March 2001 and freeze construction in 150 larger settlements on land occupied in the 1967 Middle East war.

“The prime minister is determined to fulfil his obligation in terms of personal credibility as well as the credibility of the state of Israel,” Raanan Gissin, a senior Sharon adviser, told Reuters.

“You are going to see more of this,” he said, referring to the dismantling of unauthorised outposts.

Earlier in the day, Meir Sheetrit, a minister without portfolio and member of Sharon's right-wing Likud Party, said the government was dragging its feet on the issue.

Justice Minister Yosef Lapid, leader of Shinui, a key coalition partner, added that the unauthorised outposts were “ruining our relations with the Americans, with Europe” and must be taken down.

The roadmap lists a series of reciprocal confidence-building steps leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state by 2005.

In a statement, legislators from the far-right National Union Party said the decision to remove unauthorised outposts “tramples democratic values, and we will not agree to the uprooting of Jews from their land.”

But the party, which has seven legislators in the 120-member parliament, gave no indication that it might bolt the coalition over the removal of the outposts.

Most of the international community regards settlements as illegal. Israel disputes this.

Israeli newspaper reports named the outposts earmarked for removal as Ginot Aryeh and Shaked Farm, both near the Palestinian city of Ramallah; Magen David in the Hebron area; and West Bat Ayin near Bethlehem.

Jewish settlers have 10 days to appeal to the supreme court against the edict, issued on Sunday.

“We will go to the supreme court,” said Geula Hershkovits of Ginot Aryeh, named for her husband who was killed by Palestinian militants in January 2001.

Yossi Sarid, a leading left-wing dove in parliament, said that at least two of the encampments had been removed in past operations but settlers had rebuilt them.

Meanwhile, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia arrived Monday in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea port city of Jeddah on his first visit to the Gulf since he came to power.

Qureia, who was appointed head of an emergency Cabinet in September, was accompanied by Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath and Housing and Public Works Minister Abdelrahman Hamad.

“Qureia will discuss with Saudi officials the recent deterioration in developments on the Palestinian front and efforts by the Palestinian Authority to apply the roadmap,” the Palestinian ambassador to the kingdom, Mustafa Al Sheikh Dib, told AFP.

According to the ambassador: “Qureia will urge Saudi officials to use their political weight to urge the international community to pressure Israel to end its aggression and resume negotiations.”

Qureia's predecessor, Mahmoud Abbas, visited Saudi Arabia in August. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was also a frequent visitor to Riyadh before he was confined by the Israeli army to his Ramallah headquarters two years ago.