Israel Resumes Negotiations with Palestine Liberation Organization and Reopens Gaza Strip

Strategic Insights -

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin announced today that the country would resume negotiations with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and reopen the Gaza Strip, which had been blockaded for nearly a week due to the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier. The decision comes despite the national trauma caused by the abduction and death of Nahshon Waxman, a 20-year-old soldier who was killed by his captors during a failed Israeli army rescue attempt. The new talks on Palestinian elections in the West Bank and Gaza are set to begin on Tuesday in Cairo, and Gazans will once again be allowed to leave for jobs in Israel on Monday.

Key Takeaways:

  • Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin decided not to be deflected from the peace course set with the PLO last year, despite the national trauma caused by the abduction and death of Nahshon Waxman.
  • The Israeli Government has decided to resume negotiations with the PLO on Palestinian elections in the West Bank and Gaza, with talks set to begin on Tuesday in Cairo.
  • Gazans will once again be allowed to leave for jobs in Israel on Monday, and the Gaza Strip will be reopened.
  • The Israeli Government cleared its line of command in the failed raid to rescue the kidnapped soldier, which resulted in the deaths of another Israeli soldier and three kidnappers from the Hamas Islamic group.
  • Israeli officials have stated that Prime Minister Rabin would like to sign a peace treaty with King Hussein of Jordan during a planned trip to the United States next month.
  • Standing in Rabin's way are continuing disputes over land and water rights, and it was not clear late tonight if he and King Hussein had achieved a breakthrough or would need more time.
  • The Israeli public has rallied around the slain soldier's family, with thousands attending his funeral and weeping openly at the graveside.
  • Newspaper articles have suggested that Prime Minister Rabin may have done better to accept a Hamas offer to stretch a deadline set by the abductors, which could have bought time to prepare for a more effective raid.

Statistics:

  • 46 years: the duration of the state of war between Israel and Jordan that lasted until July, when they agreed to end it.
  • 20 years old: the age of Nahshon Waxman, the Israeli soldier who was killed by his captors during a failed rescue attempt.
  • 200: the number of Hamas militants rounded up in a crackdown on Hamas, which may have helped Israeli forces track down the kidnappers.
  • 19: the number of Israeli settlements that remain in the Gaza coastal strip.
  • Monday: the day when Gazans will once again be allowed to leave for jobs in Israel.
  • Tuesday: the day when new talks on Palestinian elections in the West Bank and Gaza will begin in Cairo.

Sources:

  • "Israel to Resume Talks with PLO," The New York Times, [no date provided]
  • "Gaza Strip to Reopen After Israeli Soldier's Death," The New York Times, [no date provided]
  • "Israeli Officials Insist PLO Bore Responsibility for Kidnapping," The New York Times, [no date provided]