Wolfensohn Meets With Palestinians To Discuss Gaza Pullout

Outgoing World Bank head James Wolfensohn held his first talks Sunday with Palestinian leaders in his new role as the international community's envoy to assist Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, reports Agence France Presse (05/01).

           
Wolfensohn, who was handed his new job by the so-called Middle East quartet last month, met with prime minister Ahmed Qorei, finance minister Salam Fayad and other ministers in the West Bank town of Ramallah. "It was an extremely constructive meeting with the Prime minister and the cabinet. I did a lot of listening. I was impressed with their plans and its very consistent with what I know already," he told reporters.

           
Qorei said the talks had focused on addressing the economic challenges in Gaza after the departure of the Israeli settlers and troops in the autumn. "It was a very fruitful meeting," said Qorei. "We trust his ability to push the peace process forward and we will cooperate fully with him to ensure that his mission is successful," the premier said. "We spoke about two main plans. Firstly to confront the economic challenges connected to rebuilding what the occupation has destroyed in Gaza, such as the housing sector. "Secondly, a long term mission which focuses on reconstruction and reforms of the whole homeland," Qorei added. Wolfensohn is also due to meet with Israeli officials in the coming days, including Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz on Monday.

           
The online edition of the BBC (05/01) notes that close to 1.5 million Palestinians live crammed into the Gaza Strip. It is only 40km (25 miles) long and one of the world's most crowded places. At the moment around 7,000 Israeli settlers are occupying about a quarter of it. The news agency writes that the Palestinians desperately need the space that the Israelis will vacate. The Palestinians also look set to inherit the hi-tech hothouse farming projects that the settlers have developed. That will do a little to provide jobs and ease the poverty of a few, but how profitable the farms will be will depend on how freely they are allowed to export their produce, the BBC writes. The Israelis will continue to control all of Gaza's borders. It is not yet clear what will happen to the hundreds of homes that the settlers leave. They are European-style suburban bungalows surrounded by gardens and designed for small families. But many Gazan families have eight, nine or 10 children. If the vacated settlements are to be used for housing they will need to be redeveloped. Only high-density, high-rise blocks could begin to address Gaza's chronic housing shortage, the BBC suggests.

           
Reuters (05/01) also notes a Palestinian cabinet minister said on Sunday that the Palestinian Authority is working on a security plan to prevent the looting or destruction of Jewish settlements in Gaza after Israel quits the occupied territory. Israel is to evacuate all 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and four of 120 in the West Bank this year under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to "disengage" from conflict with the Palestinians. Sharon has said he expects that once settlers and soldiers who guard them leave, Palestinian residents of the impoverished Gaza Strip will rush to settlement villas Israel intends to leave intact and strip them bare of windows, tiles and pipes. Palestinian officials said they want to avoid the kind of wide-scale looting that erupted in Iraq after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.

           
The Associated Press (05/01) further adds in a separate piece that Israel pledged to turn over five West Bank towns to Palestinian security control as part of a Feb. 8 cease-fire agreement, but only Tulkarem and Jericho have actually been transferred. Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said last week he was putting further handovers on hold until the Palestinian Authority fulfilled a pledge to disarm militants in the two towns they already control. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has said he preferred to use persuasion to maintain calm. However, Abbas took a firmer tone last week, warning militants he would use force against anyone who violated the truce.

           
Agence France Presse finally reports in a separate piece that Israeli cabinet minister Nathan Sharansky resigned Monday in protest at the plan to pull Jewish settlers out of the occupied Gaza Strip. Sharansky, who became the sixth minister to either quit or be sacked in less than a year over their opposition to the disengagement plan, said it would only serve to strengthen Palestinian militancy and divide Israeli society.