Palestinians doubt Israeli sincerity for pull out plan

The Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon managed to get approval from MPs on his decision to pullout from the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. However, on the Palestinian side, neither officials nor civilians can be sure of the sincerity of the Israeli withdrawal plan.

A significant majority think that the decision was not taken in favour of Palestinians, it is only a tactic to benefit Israelis. Also some Palestinian officials claimed that Sharon’s plan is unacceptable unless it is carried out with the Palestinian support.

The Palestinian Negotiation Minister Dr. Saeb Erakat said, "Yesterday, Israeli parties were deciding on my future and the Palestinian future. They don’t have the right to control our destinies. The Palestinian side was absent yesterday."

Erakat also claimed that it is a one-sided plan and is not related to the road map.

Palestinian Cabinet Minister Qadoura Fares said, "This plan was made only for destroying the road map. That is what was said by Sharon’s office, ‘we went for this plan because we want to stop the road map and ban an independent Palestine state, because the road map will coast us a Palestinian state.’"

Meanwhile, civilians speaking to IHA reporters voiced the same reaction to the Israeli withdrawal plan.

An old Palestinian man said, "What happened yesterday is wrong, because the withdrawal has to be from all the West Bank and Gaza, not only from the Gaza Strip. We want them to leave from all the territory that was occupied by Israel in 1967."

An elderly woman said, "The pullout from Gaza has to be related with the West Bank. We are not terrorists, but Israelis are. We are normal people who try to defend themselves and only want to have our independent state."