Israel plans buffer zone

The crossing between Ramallah and Jerusalem is sporadically sealed

By Paul Wood in Jerusalem

As violence in the Middle East continues, the Israelis have dusted off an old plan to create a buffer zone sealing off Israel from Palestinian territory.

The Israeli army's chief of staff, General Shaul Mofaz, has said his forces are preparing to implement such a zone, with fences, watchtowers and trenches so that potential suicide bombers face a barrier they cannot breach.

This comes after the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, said that talks with the Palestinians could take place only after a 48-hour period of complete quiet.

In the early hours of Sunday, Israeli tanks and helicopter gunships went into the West Bank town of Ramallah after a shooting incident in which an Israeli motorist died.

Changing the rules

It is not clear if the buffer zone would seal off all territories, but the implications are nonetheless far reaching.

It will be guarded not by the border police but by soldiers with far wider rules of engagement.

Mr Arafat says he is committed to a ceasefire

Some members of the Israeli cabinet, including General Mofaz, have long wanted to declare the Palestinian Authority a terrorist entity.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, on Sunday that terrorism had to be fought wherever it was found, whether in the United States or in the Middle East.

Once again he blamed Yasser Arafat for the escalating violence.

None of this bodes well for American efforts to calm the situation here and neutralise the Palestinian issue as a source of anger throughout the Arab world.

The United States has requested new peace talks in the Middle East as part of its efforts to build a global coalition against terrorism including the Arab States.