By Ryan Jones
Sep 12, 2005
Israel should not think the Palestinian Authority is going to honor its commitment to disarm and dismantle ?Palestinian? terror groups just because it pulled all Jews out of the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria.
That was the message PA National Security Advisor Jibril Rajoub conveyed to The Jerusalem Post this week.
?The PA and its Arab neighbors are ready to deal with [the terrorists] once there is hope of ending the occupation,? Rajoub said, demanding Israel follow up the ?disengagement? by initiating negotiations on a full withdrawal from Judea and Samaria too.
The PA also wants control over Gaza's airspace, ?free passage for Palestinians between Gaza and the West Bank and freedom of movement between Gaza and Egypt.?
Israel has retained control over these security assets as a result of the Palestinian Arabs' history of mass murdering its citizens.
Rajoub rejected the notion that Israel's pullout from Gaza and northern Samaria meant the ball was now in the PA's court, diplomatically speaking.
?The Israeli withdrawal is positive, but should not be praised and rewarded; after all, Israel did what it is supposed to do according to international legitimacy ? end the occupation of Gaza.?
Gaza was in fact an ancient center of Jewish culture and life, and has since the fall of the Ottoman Turkish Empire not been the sovereign territory of any nation or people, making Israel's presence there anything but that of an occupier.