Palestinians cry 'blackmail' over Israel phone service threat

[Cees Binkhorst]

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Sommige mensen zeggen dat Israel een democratie is?

Groet / Cees

Palestinians cry 'blackmail' over Israel phone service threat7
By Ben Lynfield in Jerusalem

Thursday, 1 October 2009
Israel is threatening to kill off a crucial West Bank economic project
unless the Palestinian Authority withdraws a request to the International
Criminal Court to investigate alleged Israeli crimes during last winter’s
Gaza war.

Shalom Kital, an aide to defence minister Ehud Barak, said today that
Israel will not release a share of the radio spectrum that has long been
sought by the Palestinian Authority to enable the launch of a second
mobile telecommunications company unless the PA drops its efforts to put
Israeli soldiers and officers in the dock over the Israeli operation.

“It’s a condition. We are saying to the Palestinians that ‘if you want a
normal life and are trying to embark on a new way, you must stop your
incitement,” Mr. Kital said. “We are helping the Palestinian economy but
one thing we ask them is to stop with these embarrassing charges.”

As long as the Wataniya Mobile company is unable to begin its operations,
communications costs are likely to remain inordinately high for
Palestinian businesses and individuals. But thwarting the company benefits
four unauthorized Israeli operators who make sizeable profits in the
Palestinian market using infrastructure they have set up in the illegal
Israeli settlements across the West Bank.

The Qatari-owned Wataniya had begun making what was planned as the second
largest private investment in West Bank history - to total seven hundred
million dollars. But amid frustration at more than two years of Israeli
foot-dragging over the frequencies it is now warning that if forced to
miss its launch date of 15 October it may close down West Bank operations
and seek the return from the Palestinian Authority of its $140m licensing
fee and other damages. Mr Kital said the possibility of Wataniya closing
“is something the PA will have to take into consideration.”

“This is sheer blackmail by the Israelis,” said Nabil Shaath, the former
PA foreign minister. “Israel has no business stealing the frequencies,
keeping them and using them as blackmail to escape an international
inquiry into its violations.”

Nearly 1400 Palestinians, most of whom were not taking part in the
hostilities, were killed during the Gaza war, according to the Israeli
human rights group B’tselem. Fourteen Israelis died, some from Hamas
rocket fire that Israel says forced it to mount its operation. A UN probe
released last month found that both Israel and Hamas had committed “war
crimes”.

Mr Shaath said the PA would not back down over the matter.“The
Palestinians in Gaza suffered greatly and we are responsible for them. We
are the aggrieved party. Israeli soldiers and those who gave orders should
be questioned and be liable to prosecution.”

The Palestinian request to the ICC dates back eight months. But Israeli
concern over international legal steps has intensified since the UN
commission, headed by South African judge Richard Goldstone, concluded
that the Israeli military judicial system did not meet international legal
standards of independence and impartiality. It called for the ICC to
activate an indictment process within six months unless the country mounts
its own credible investigations of its troops actions.

The Israeli stance on the frequencies marks a flouting of the efforts of
the international community’s Middle East envoy, Tony Blair, who last
month urged that they be released and warned of harm to the local economy
if Israel persisted in its refusal. Mr Kital said today that Mr Blair “is
very aware” there will be no release unless the Palestinians drop their
request to the ICC.

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