Barak's generous offers The West Bank and the Gaza Strip, captured in 1967, comprise 22% of pre-1948 Palestine. When the Palestinians signed the Oslo Agreement in 1993 they agreed to accept only these 22% and recognize Israel within the Green Line borders. Conceding 78% of the land was a historical Palestinian compromise. But this compromise was not enough for Barak. In his offer to the Palestinians, Barak demanded the following: 69 settlements are included in this area, where 85% of the settlers live. It is clearly visible that The blocs create impossible borders, which severely disrupt Palestinian life in the West Bank. In addition to the settlement blocs, Barak came up with another demand; Territories that will be under Temporary "Israeli Control". The "Temporary Control" concept is unique. It refers to sovereign Palestinian land that will remain under Israeli military and civil control for an indefinite time. The remains are "The Generous Offers of Barak" What appears to be territorial continuity is actually split up by settlement blocs, bypass roads and roadblocks. The Palestinians have to relinquish land reserves essential for their development and absorption of refugees. They also have to accept Israelis supervision of borders crossings together with many other restrictions. Data in this document are based on the maps Barak showed Arafat in December 2000 and generally termed "Barak's Generous Offers". The Israeli public, media and academics use this description unwittingly. This document sheds light on the offer and exposes the truth by examining the details the offer is a pretense of generosity for the benefit of the media! Barak's offer gives Israel control over all the border crossings of the Palestinian State. No country in the world would accept that. The words "territorial continuity" are deceptive. No Israeli would agree to travel 50 miles from one town to another, if the real distance between them is only 5 miles. This impossible offer, Barak's imperious attitude, the ongoing massive construction in the settlements and Sharon's provocation all these contributed to the inevitable explosion. The "generous offer" is a fig leaf that conceals the intentions of those who justify this war against the Palestinians. In December no maps of the Gaza Strip were shown, so we cannot illustrate Barak's intentions there. Later on, at Taba, Barak presented a much-improved map. The Palestinians consider it a basis for negotiation. But Barak repudiated it after his election defeat so there is no point in bringing it up. Any future negotiation must be based on the same historical compromise: 78% for Israel, 22% for Palestine. Published by: http://www.gush-shalom.org/archives/offers.doc More articles & Documents |
