Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, May 6, 1994 TAG: 9405060103
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CAIRO, EGYPT LENGTH: Medium
With the signing of the PLO-Israel accord Wednesday, a Palestinian Authority was born.
That means that for the first time, the Palestinians will run their own lives, albeit under Israeli limits. What the accord outlines is not the birth of a nation - Israel still resists that - but the birth of a Palestinian entity.
``It is for the Palestinians to elect their leaders, nominate their judges, appoint their policemen. All we wish is to become their friendly neighbors,'' was the way Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres explained it.
PLO chief negotiator Nabil Shaath was more effusive:
``This is the first time ever that the Palestinian people will have a chance to govern themselves by themselves on their land.''
But the 118-page document makes clear that self-rule is more complicated than political hopes and dreams. The accord explains how the Palestinians will handle everything from archaeology to tourism to law enforcement to fishing licenses.
Arafat is expected to present Israel with the names of the 24-member Palestinian Authority next week.
Its job won't be easy. Shaath pointed out Thursday that the new authority will be ``starting from zero,'' especially in downtrodden Gaza.
For example, the accord makes the authority responsible for sewage. Sewage runs in open channels now through many of the alleys in Gaza's refugee camps.
The accord says the Palestinians can have 9,000 police, most armed with submachine guns. They'll have 40 armored vehicles donated by Russia and 200 vans and trucks from the Americans. Patrol boats of the coastal police can fly Palestinian flags.
Duties and limitations of the police caused much consternation during negotiations. But the document outlines countless other more mundane government duties:
The new authority will have to make sure vaccinations are up to modern standards, provide licenses to new industries, run radio and television stations, guard archaeological sites, and appoint ``mukhtars,'' traditional village leaders.
The Palestinian Authority will have the power to make laws, but these must be reviewed by a joint Israel-PLO committee. In the event of disagreement, appeal can be made to a committee of judges.
Much of the accord, in fact, outlines mechanisms for Palestinians and Israelis to deal with each other. More than a dozen joint committees are created.
The Palestinians see the Gaza-Jericho accord as a steppingstone to more rights and, eventually, a Palestinian state. Israel sees it otherwise.
Shaath, a stamp collector, made sure postage stamps were among the ``little symbols of state'' he won for the Palestinians. But the accord specifies ``Palestinian Authority,'' and not Palestine, will be printed on the stamps.
Arafat's title also was delineated to remove any hint of statehood. Letters attached to the accord say Arafat can be called ``chairman'' or ``ra'ees,'' an Arabic word meaning either ``president'' or ``head of.''
But Arafat, it said, ``will not use the title `President of Palestine.'''
by CNB