6 Weeks Before Pullout, Puzzles Over Settlements Last month, the fate of Israeli settlement buildings in Gaza seemed clear, at least to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Tension remains high in Northwestern BC as representatives from the Unist'ot'en clan and their legal representatives held a meeting with the RCMP regarding the fate of their settlement camp on Tuesday afternoon.
The largely conservative Israeli government, led by Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud Party, said it would not build new settlements and would not expropriate additional land for settlement construction, and said that the fate of the settlements would be decided in negotiations.
During the nine days of talks, Mr. Barak and Mr. Arafat apparently dealt with every issue in the conflict -- from borders and the fate of Jewish settlements to the right of return of Palestinian refugees to the status of Jerusalem.
Those differences, from the fate of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to control of Jerusalem, have scuttled efforts by previous presidents to negotiate a complete peace agreement.
The fate of existing settlements is an issue that must be dealt with by the parties, along with the other permanent-status issues – but, like every US administration for decades, we do not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity".
An agreement was reached on the final day, however, when, at the last minute, Begin agreed to allow the Knesset to decide the fate of the settlements Israelis had established on the Sinai Peninsula (which Sādāt had required dismantled and Begin had sworn not to abandon).
At issue were such questions as how much land Israel was to return, the fate of the settlements in the Sinai, etc. Meeting now here, now there, in what increasingly looked like a traveling circus, the leaders and their advisers vainly circled each other in an attempt to reach an agreement.
The Palestinians argue that admission even as a non-member observer state at the UN will strengthen their hands in peace talks with Israel on core issues that divide them: the status of Jerusalem, the fate of the settlements, the precise location of borders, the right of return of Palestinian refugees, water rights and security arrangements.
Israel and the Palestinians are still grappling with unresolved issues like the fate of Jerusalem, Jewish settlements on occupied land, borders and the future of about four million Palestinian refugees.
The first question that must be answered in the days ahead is why Ms. Reno, who had shown admirable restraint, did not let the latest round of negotiations over Elians fate proceed until any hope of settlement was exhausted.
