ISRAEL RETAINS POWER

by RAY FLEMING
ALTHOUGH Israel has now quit the Gaza territories which it had occupied illegally for thirty years, it still controls the borders of Gaza with Egypt, the air space over Gaza and access by sea to Gaza. It also still controls the crossing points between Israel and the West Bank and Gaza and in doing so prevents the free movement of people and goods necessary for the economic revovery of Gaza. However, not even the most persistent critic of the government of Ariel Sharon could have imagined that he would presume to interfere in Palestinian's internal affairs to the extent of obstructing the impending elections there. Yet that is precisely what he intends if the parties participating in next year's election are not to his liking. Speaking earlier this week about the militant group Hamas, Mr Sharon said: “I don't think the Palestinians can hold elections without our assistance and we will make all possible efforts not to aid them if Hamas participates.” Mr Sharon's objection to Hamas is that its charter's aim is to “raise the banner of God over every inch of Palestine” which he interprets to mean the elimination of Israel. However, Hamas has changed considerably since it was founded, with Israeli encouragement, in the 1970s and it is currently supporting the cease-fire called for by the Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas who knows he cannot effectively call on Hamas to disarm at this early and still fragile state of renewed Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. In response to Mahmoud Abbas' encouragement Hamas has also entered politics and its candidates did well in recent local elections. For his part Mr Sharon has predicted that Hamas might win one-third of the parliamentary seats next year, a prospect he clearly does not welcome. But surely there must come a point when Israel will realise that it can neither continue to occupy illegally held land nor seek to tell the Palestinian Authority how to run its own affairs.