After a long period of relative quiet on the diplomatic front, Labor Party members are promoting a number of new initiatives. Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres is reportedly finalizing a proposal that would call for a total Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and recognition of a demilitarized Palestinian State. Knesset members Haim Ramon and Shlomo Ben-Ami have launched their own plan for unilateral separation.

Peres told reporters yesterday that he is likely to meet with Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat when the two attend an economic conference on the Spanish island of Majorca at the end of the week. Peres said, "We shall probably meet, but we are not going to negotiate because I think that negotiations should be prepared very carefully, otherwise it will create a disappointment instead of a hope." The last time the two met was at the end of September, when they agreed to a cease-fire plan that was never implemented.

Peres also repeated what he had told Labor party

Our plan is "to create a temporary border between us and them." - MK Haim Ramon

members at a meeting last Thursday -- that he was working on a new diplomatic initiative that he planned to bring to the party for approval in the near future.

The Peres plan would call for a total withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and the dismantlement of all Jewish settlements there, Maariv reported yesterday. Israel would reportedly agree to the creation of a demilitarized Palestinian state. In addition, an international committee would be created, with the participation of the United Nations, European Union, the United States and Russia, that would deal with the subject of refugees and compensation for their suffering and property loss.

Each side would be responsible for its own holy sites, but the question of sovereignty over Jerusalem would be postponed to a later stage, Maariv said.

The Peres plan would reportedly also call for a mutual defense pact between Israel and the United States, and the creation of joint Israeli-Palestinian teams to monitor and ensure security. Maariv reported that the Peres plan has already been written and was now in final stages of editing. Peres refused to confirm the details of the plan, only admitting to Channel One television that he "wrote a draft" which he planned to discuss with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Sources in the Prime Minister's Office suggested that Sharon would probably not allow Peres to meet with Arafat because "there is no point to such a meeting," Maariv reported today. The Jerusalem Post cited unnamed sources who said that if Peres had a new diplomatic plan, it would have to be presented to the cabinet before it could be discussed with the Palestinians.

Labor Party sources suggested that the presentation of Peres's diplomatic initiative, which certainly would be rejected by Sharon and the rest of the cabinet, would be the first step towards the party's departure from the national unity government, Maariv reported. Others suggested that Peres was merely presenting an alternative to the recently presented unilateral separation plan suggested by party Knesset members Haim Ramon and Shlomo Ben-Ami.

Ramon and Ben-Ami present unilateral separation plan
Last Thursday, Ramon and Ben-Ami announced their plan for a unilateral Israeli separation from the Palestinians. At a press conference held in Tel Aviv, they suggested that the separation plan, backed by multinational support, would be an intermediate stage before achieving a final comprehensive agreement, acceptable to the international community.

According to the two, the chances of reaching an agreement with Arafat in the near future are minimal, due to the fact that he refuses to fight terror. Therefore, they suggest, Israel should call for support from the international community for a separation initiative.

According to the plan, Israel would announce its intention to withdraw from the vast majority of Palestinian territory. Administration of the territory would be handed over to "international management" led by the United States. The border would be determined with Israeli territory encompassing a minimal part of the Palestinian population, but ensuring that 80% of the settlers remain under Israeli sovereignty.

The proposed arrangement would remain in place until Israel and the Palestinians reached a permanent agreement, which would be achieved with international sponsorship. Ramon said the plan was intended "to create a temporary border between us and them" and that opportunities for violence and terrorism would be minimized by international involvement.

Ramon and Ben-Ami announced that they hoped the Labor Party would adopt their plan, as it presented a "real alternative" to Sharon's policies of "reconquering the territories, destroying the Palestinian Authority, and then hoping for the best." Ramon said, "To the best of my knowledge, Shimon Peres opposes any unilateral action. He believes that we can come to an agreement with Arafat in which Arafat will fight terror."

Ramon and Ben-Ami challenged Peres's stand by stating, "Arafat can't and won't fight terror or prevent attacks carried out by extremist groups or even groups that he is associated with." The two declared that continued negotiation on the Oslo model was futile, and that the only viable alternative to guarantee security for Israelis was unilateral action.

World Jewish Congress President Edgar Bronfman appeared to express support for elements of both the Peres initiative and the Ramon-Ben-Ami plan of unilateral separation. In an address last night at the opening of the Congress's 11th Plenary Assembly, Bronfman stated, "Settlements on the West Bank which cannot be defended should be dismantled." He termed the Israeli presence in Gaza "a mistake" and called for a new boundary to be determined separating Israelis and Palestinians by a fence.

Beilin presents joint Israeli-Palestinian declaration
Left-wing members of the Labor Party argue that an immediate cessation of violence and a return to negotiations are still possible. At a meeting of the Peace Coalition of leftist parties and organizations, former Justice Minister Yossi Beilin presented a joint Israeli-Palestinian declaration calling for an immediate Israeli withdrawal from Area A, an end to violence and terrorism, a return to negotiations and the end of the occupation.

The declaration, which was short on details, stated that the Mitchell Report should serve as the basis for the return to permanent status negotiations, and that all violence, assassinations and settlement activity should be halted in order to ease tensions in the "current climate of mistrust and mutual hostility." The goals of the declaration could only be achieved "with the support of the international community and through international monitoring."

Signatories to the declaration included Palestinian Minister of Culture and Information Yasser Abed Rabbo, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Nabil Amr and others. Israeli signatories included Peace Now activists, Meretz Knesset members Yossi Sarid, Naomi Chazan, Ran Cohen, Zahava Gal-on, Mossi Raz, Avshalom Vilan and Anat Maor, and Colette Avital, Yael Dayan, Eitan Cabel and Nawaf Mazalha of the Labor Party.

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