The Palestinian Information Minister, Mr Yasser Abed-Rabbo, condemned as "cosmetic and meaningless" Israel's decision yesterday to ease its closure of Palestinian territories. Mr Abed-Rabbo, speaking to journalists after meeting Jordanian Prime Minister, Mr Abdul-Salam al-Majali, said Israel was still imposing a collective punishment on most Palestinians for twin suicide bombings on July 30th which killed 17 people.
"All the steps taken by the Israelis which they claim to be a kind of softening of the closure, these are only cosmetic steps," he said. "They are meaningless and have no effect on the situation."
Israel let a limited number of Palestinians return to their jobs in the Jewish state yesterday for the first time since sealing off the West Bank and Gaza after the bombings. Palestinian officials said the Israeli army issued 4,024 entry permits, but witnesses at border crossings said only a few hundred workers crossed into Israel. About 51,000 Palestinians worked in Israel before the attack.
Israel's move came just days before the U.S. Secretary of State, Ms Madeleine Albright, was due to make her first visit to the region.
"We are in the middle of a deep crisis which dominates the peace process," Mr Abed-Rabbo said.
He said Ms Albright must focus on speedy implementation of the Palestinian interim self-rule accords with Israel, including setting up a `safe passage' between the Gaza Strip and PLO-controlled areas of the West Bank; releasing Palestinian prisoners and setting up sea ports and airports in Gaza.
He said there should also be "no unilateral actions by Israel on the ground, which means no confiscation of land, no expansion of the [Jewish] settlements and no confiscation in Jerusalem and other Palestinian territories".
"We believe there is an attempt from the Israeli side to obstruct the main purpose of Albright's visit, which is to push the peace process forward, by diverting her to what is known as the security situation," Mr Abed-Rabbo said.
Ms Albright is to leave Washington on September 9th.