Gaza (AsiaNews/Agencies) – There are some signs that tensions are easing between Israelis and Palestinians even though the construction of the separation barrier continues in one section deep inside the Palestinian Territories.
In response to Hamas's offer of ceasefire in exchange for an end to Israeli military operations in the West Bank and Gaza, Israel announced that it was suspending targeted killings of Palestinian terrorist leaders. The report has not however been confirmed.
Dov Weisglass, an aide to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, met Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat in charge with negotiations with Israel.
The meeting came after Israel's announcement that it was resuming contacts with the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) suspended following the January 14 attack that killed six Israelis along the border with Gaza Strip.
If successful, the meeting could pave the way for summit between newly-elected Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen) and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
"These are positive signs and these initiatives must be encouraged", said Prof Bernard Sabela, a Jerusalem-based Christian sociologist at the Pontifical University of Bethlehem.
Speaking to AsiaNews, Prof Sabela urged caution however. The "good news" concerning a truce is tempered in fact by Israel's announcement yesterday that it was resuming building its security barrier in a very controversial section, deep inside Palestinian territory. The section is about four kilometres long and winds its way along a road near the Israeli West Bank settlement of Ariel. Residents of the nearby Palestinian village of Salfit (north of Jerusalem) had angrily opposed it but their application for a suspension in the construction was rejected by Israel's Attorney-General.
In the current situation, resuming the wall construction hardly helps negotiations. "How are we going to convince our people and factions that we are trying to end Israeli occupation while Israel is imposing facts on the ground?" Palestinian cabinet minister Saeb Erekat asked.
Prof Sabela agrees. "We must work for peace and separation. [But] how can we be good neighbours if we are divided by a wall that in some areas makes life impossible?"
In Bet-hanina for instance, an area north of Jerusalem, local Christians have denounced the barrier because it cuts them off from the city: "Jobs, schools, parish churches: Everything is on the other side of the wall," some said.
The construction of the wall began in August 2002 and Israel has so far built 30 per cent of the planned 595 km-long structure.
The Israeli government claims that it is necessary to stop suicide bombers coming from the Occupied Territories. Palestinians counter that the wall does not follow the Green Line and hinders their day-to-day mobility.
In July 2004 a United Nations resolution called on Israel to dismantle the security barrier built beyond the borders of the Jewish state.
