TRYING TO MAKE SENSE OF JERICHO

Accusations over who is to blame for the radi at Jericho yesterday are flying faster than a B52 over Afghanistan.

The Ramallah Agreement allowed for Saadat to be detained in a Palestinian prison and his detenetion to be monitored by British and American monitors. The British had complained several times to the Palestinians about lax security.

On 8th March this year the Foreign Office wrote to the Palestinians threatening to withdraw if the security at the Jericho prison was not increased. More crucially, as part of the Ramallah Agreement the Israelis were also informed of this warning. SO the Israelis, though not told of the exact timing, were aware that if the monitors felt their security to be threatened then they could withdraw. This is crucial.

Now, reading the papers this morning I read Jack Straw, like Blair, using the language of a lawyer. Straw spoke in the House of Commons yesterday on this particular incident and said;

"We deliberately decided not to tell anybody of the exact timing of the withdrawal, both because of the risk to the safety of our monitors, but also precisely to ensure that there could be no collusion with the Israeli defence forces,"

No, Straw did not tell the Israelis "the exact timing of the withdrawal", but had told the Israelis the circumstances under which the monitors would be withdrawn.

So, how soon did the Israelis appear?

Well according to The Times

An Israeli commander waiting outside Jericho decided that the monitors’ departure rendered the agreement void. A 100-strong force backed by tanks and helicopters sped to the prison to seize Saadat and his colleagues, but was confronted by Palestinian guards, and a gun battle erupted.

So from this report we can gather that the Israelis were watching and waiting for the monitors to withdraw.

But here is a little telling detail from Donald Macintyre in The Independent;

The Israeli Army had earlier raked the prison with gunfire after cordoning off the area.

Say what??

The Israelis had cordoned off the area and raked the prison with gunfire!?

No wonder the monitors left in such a hurry!!

So I would say from this that the Israelis provoked the withdrawal with the knowledge from Straw's letter of 8th March that if threatened, say by raking the prison with Israeli gunfire, the monitors would withdraw.

Yes, the Palestinians were responsible for the prison. But Palestine is one of the poorest places on Earth. MPs are going on TV, dressing up in red leotards and acting like cats (and being ridiculed for it) just so that Palestinian kids have some food in their bellies, while the Israeli military is one of the best equipped forces in the world thanks to aid from the USA.

No, there was no agreement, no formal collusion between Israel and the UK. But I think that there was some informal agreement, a nod and a wink knod of agreement, that what happened yesterday woould happen.