Memorandum submitted by the Foreign and
Commonwealth Office
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN ISRAEL AND THE OCCUPIED
TERRITORIES
1. This memorandum responds to the Committee's
request for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's view of recent
developments in Israel and the Occupied Territories, and describes
the action the FCO is taking in response to the situation.
RECENT EVENTS
2. The Camp David Summit attended by Prime
Minister Barak and Chairman Arafat in July saw some progress.
Difficult issues such as Jerusalem and refugees were discussed
in depth for the first time. But the Summit did not produce any
written agreement. Subsequent talks between the parties were equally
fruitless. Tension in the region and the pressures on both parties
therefore increased.
3. There were explosions in Gaza on 26 September.
Israeli opposition leader, Ariel Sharon, visited the Haram Al
Sharif (Holy Places) in Jerusalem at prayer time on 28 September,
accompanied by several hundred Israeli security forces personnel.
This led to violent protests and many injuries to Palestinian
protesters. On the following day, violence escalated: an Israeli
border guard was killed by a Palestinian policeman; stones were
thrown at Jews praying at the Wailing Wall; several Palestinian
protesters were killed and many injured. the Israeli security
forces later deployed heavy armour and used anti-tank weapons
and helicopter gunships in addition to CS gas, rubber-coated bullets
and live ammunition. Some Palestinian militiamen and policemen
opened fire on Israeli forces.
4. The violence continued. By 23 October
around 125 People had been killed and over 3,000 injured, the
vast majority of them Palestinians. There were also clashes within
Israel between Israeli Arabs and police; several Israeli Arabs
were killed.
5. On 12 October two Israeli soldiers were
dragged from a Palestinian Police Station and killed by a mob
in Ramallah. The Israelis reponded by attacking selected military/security
targets in Ramallah, Gaza, Jericho, Nablus and Hebron with helicopter
gunships. Substantial material damage was done to public buildings
and 16 civilians were injured.
6. After intensive diplomatic efforts, an
emergency summit was convened on 16 to 17 October at Sharm-el-Sheikh,
attended by the United States, Israel, the Palestine Authority,
Egypt, Jordan, the United Nations and the European Union. The
Summit produced an unwritten understanding between the two parties
to make statements calling for an end to the violence, to disengage
at the main flash points and to resume limited security co-operation.
7. The Arab League met in Cairo on 21 and
22 October and produced a statement (Annex 10) which included
a call for a UN tribunal to investigate the actions of Israeli
Armed Forces against the Palestinian and Lebanese people, but
it did not, for example, call for relations with Israel to be
severed, as some had anticipated.
THE GOVERNMENT'S
VIEWS AND
ACTIONS
8. The Government has been working to encourage
the parties to end the violence and return to the negotiating
table. In contacts with the Israelis, Palestinians and Arab States,
we have sought to concentrate on the way forward rather than attempting
to apportion blame for recent events. We have throughout worked
closely with EU partners, the US and the UN Secretary-General.
9. The UK played a leading and constructive
role in helping to shape United Nations Security Council Resolution
1322 adopted on 7 October (Annex 1) and the EU statements of 9
October in Luxembourg and 13 October in Biarritz (Annexes 2 and
3). The Foreign Secretary and Mr Hain have made statements appealing
for an end to violence and urging restraint (Annexes 4-6). The
Foreign Secretary visited Israel, the Occupied Territories, Egypt,
Syria and Jordan from 11-13 October for intensive talks with regional
leaders as well as with the UN Secretary-General and the EU High
Representative. Mr Hain visited Egypt on 16-18 October (Annex
7).
10. On 19 October the UN Commission on Human
Rights 5th Special Session adopted a resolution on the situation
in the Occupied Territories. Attempts by the EU member states
to moderate the text were unsuccessful. As as result the EU voted,
en bloc, against the resolution. On 20 October the United Nations
General Assembly debated a resolution on the crisis (Annex 8).
The UK was among 46 countries, including five other EU states,
to abstain.
11. The Government welcomed the agreement
reached at the subsequent summit at Sharm el Sheikh on 17 October
and hopes the parties will renew their efforts towards its implementation
in full (statement by the Foreign Secretary—Annex 9). The
Government also welcomes the commitment, expressed at the Arab
Summit, to putting the peace process back on track and continues
to urge both parties to focus on negotiation as the way forward.
It remains willing to help in any way it can to bring about a
just and lasting peace.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
October 2000
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