Israel's responses deemed appropriate

Israel's response to the recent Kassam rocket attacks on Sderot has been measured and appropriate, Kim Howells, Britain's Minister of State for the Middle East, told The Jerusalem Post, disregarding Palestinian appeals for the world to rein in the IDF.

Howells, on a three-day visit to the region, hinted in an interview Wednesday night that financial aid to the Palestinian Authority might be withheld if the PA did not seriously begin tackling the terrorism in its midst.

"The Palestinians are receiving more aid per capita than any other people on the face of the earth, and we want to see some proper response," Howells said, hinting at a decrease of economic aid if the Palestinians don't fight terror....


...."I think there is no excuse now," he added. "Gaza is now in the hands of the Palestinian Authority, and there are no Israeli troops there. One hopes that where tough decisions have to be made, Abu Mazen [PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas] and the PA will make them."

At the same time, Howells said, the world would carefully watch how "selective" the IDF's retaliation would be. "I don't think that any nation on earth relishes the prospect of world opinion if it retaliates by shelling indiscriminately. But it seems to me that the Israelis have targeted with great care those it believes responsible for firing those rockets."

If this care continues, Howells said, "the world will understand [Israelis] are trying to defend their citizens, which after all is the primary responsibility of any government."

He said that the world would be watching with equal interest PA action now that Israel has withdrawn.

Howells, who met with Palestinian leadership in Ramallah on Thursday and senior Israeli officials on Wednesday, said that "sooner or later [the Palestinians] have to take a tough decision and start disarming the armed factions within Gaza and the West Bank. If they don't, how can the rest of the world have any confidence in their ability to bring good governance to these areas?"

"We are waiting with bated breath for a response from the PA," said Howells, "and it has to be a signal that it is capable of good governance. This is not a bottomless pit that this money is coming from."

Howells dismissed PA claims that it doesn't have the wherewithal to effectively take on Hamas and the other terrorist organizations. "Look, they have 60,000 troops in the PA, they have all the equipment they need. What they need is the political will to do it," he said.

Asked if Britain would condition aid to the PA on action against terrorism, Howells said, "We have already pledged an enormous amount of aid here, but I certainly want to make clear that this is not limitless and we expect results." Regarding moves he expected Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to take immediately to move the diplomatic process forward, Howells said, "I'm not looking for Sharon to do anything other than – if Israel is attacked in the way it was attacked this week – to act in the measured way I spoke of. I think he made this great gesture, and what will encourage Sharon and the Israelis to take further measures is some sign that the Palestinians are serious about improving the security situation."

Howells said that if Sharon saw a positive sign from the Palestinians, "Who knows, I can imagine other measures he might take. I think [disengagement] has been a very significant gesture, and now it's time for the Palestinians to reciprocate."...

...Asked whether settlement expansion meant stopping building inside the settlements, or just putting an end to expanding them outward, Howells replied, "It means moving out, and taking by whatever means more Palestinian territory." As to Britain's position on whether building could continue inside the construction lines of existing settlements, as Israel argues, he said, "I don't know enough about that, honestly. The worry in Britain is about whether or not what emerges in the West Bank together with Gaza will be able to constitute a viable state. That's the main area of concern."

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