Int'l Observers Tour Mideast Roadblocks
AP
Date: 01-08-05
By MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH, Associated Press Writer
RAMALLAH, West Bank - International observers toured army roadblocks in the West Bank and Gaza Strip (news - web sites) on Saturday, and Palestinian officials complained Israel was not fully complying with promises to ease travel restrictions ahead of presidential elections to replace the late Yasser Arafat (news - web sites).
At one Gaza checkpoint, hundreds of cars waited early Saturday as Palestinians reported that a 60-year-old taxi passenger was killed by army fire at the barrier. The army said soldiers fired at a gunman approaching on foot.
Later Saturday, traffic eased considerably at the checkpoint, but one driver said he waited for 25 minutes even when he was first in line.
Israeli military officials said efforts were made to speed up passage through roadblocks, but security remained the top priority.
On Friday, Palestinian gunmen killed a soldier and wounded three in an ambush near the West Bank city of Nablus, prompting Israel to warn Palestinian leaders it would reconsider its promise if militants exploited the easing of restrictions.
Israel delivered the warning through international observers headed by former President Carter and former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard, according to Israeli officials and a spokesman for Carter's team, Les Campbell.
Carter met Saturday with the front-runner in the race, Palestinian interim leader Mahmoud Abbas, the candidate of the ruling Fatah (news - web sites) movement. After the meeting, Carter visited Arafat's grave in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Observer teams were touring checkpoints Saturday to see whether restrictions were being eased, Campbell said.
Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat said nothing had changed on the ground.
"I urge the Israeli government to honor its commitment to lift the siege and restrictions. This is really threatening to undermine free and fair elections," he said.
However, Israeli officials said the military promised only to ease restrictions, not lift them, and witnesses reported that extra lanes were opened at checkpoints outside some Palestinians town, allowing traffic to move fairly rapidly.
In response to Friday's shooting attack, the military imposed a curfew on four Palestinian villages near Nablus, with residents barred from leaving their homes.
On Saturday, the army said it lifted the curfew on three villages and allowed election officials to send in several dozen ballot boxes in preparation for Sunday's vote.
A temporary checkpoint was set up near Nablus on Saturday, causing severe travel delays. At least 200 cars were delayed for several hours on a main road linking Nablus with the four villages, said Adi Dagan, spokeswoman for an Israeli human rights group monitoring military checkpoints in the West Bank.
The army said the checkpoint was set up during their search for the gunmen responsible for Friday's shooting attack.
At the two main checkpoints leading into Nablus, restrictions remained in place, with those under 25 barred from entering, residents reported. However, troops withdrew Saturday from the Balata refugee camp near Nablus, a militant stronghold.
Palestinian election officials said preparations for Sunday's vote were complete, and ballot boxes had been distributed to more than 1,000 polling stations in the West Bank and Gaza.
Election officials were unable to deliver ballots to eight villages near Nablus because of curfews and closures, said Rami Hamdallah, the secretary-general of the Central Election Commission. Hamdallah said he was in contact with Israel to coordinate the handover of the boxes in those eight villages.
Polls open at 12 a.m. EST Sunday and close at noon EST, with 1.8 million Palestinians eligible to vote. Two polling companies are conducting exit polls and results are expected at 1 p.m. EST Sunday. Final results are expected by Monday.
Also Saturday, interim Palestinian President Rauhi Fattouh set July 17 as the date of long-delayed Palestinian legislative elections. The last ones were held in 1996.
Fattouh took over as caretaker president of the Palestinian Authority (news - web sites) following Arafat's death in November.
Friday's attack was carried out by the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, a violent group with ties to Fatah. The shooting underscored Abbas' difficulties in reining in militants ? a key Israeli demand to move forward with the U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan.
Abbas criticized Friday's attack.
"There is no justification for this operation, but there are a lot of reasons behind it," he said at a news conference, his last official event before Sunday's election.
Candidates are prohibited from campaigning the day before the vote.
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