MID-EAST REALITIES © - www.MiddleEast.Org - Washington - 7/20: No way to know for sure, but if we had to predict at this moment the "Big Bang" (see previous "War Drums" articles for context) will be heard not this week but next after the Maccabiah games have ended and the G8 leaders survive Genoa. As for the talk of the moment of "international observers", there's such a long history of supposed international commissions and interventions going back to the King-Crane Commission around the time of the Balfour Declaration. Nearly always the Israelis have managed to twist things to their designs. And it should be rather evident by now that anything, absolutely anything, the Americans are supporting should be suspect in the worst way. In the end it's another ruse, another delaying tactic, another way to deflect the pressures as well as public opinion. In this particular case it's also a way to let the G8 summiteers say something, rather than actually do something. And how nice that it dovetails with the little squeaks that have come out of the Arab League of late, indeed the AL has given the G8 an easy way out letting them appear to be advocating what the Arabs themselves appear to be advocating, but which under current circumstances amounts to a pass. Whatever the end result of this little sideline debate over "neutral international observers" (of which some are already in place in Hebron and elsewhere to no avail by the way) by the time a few more get there its likely the "big bang" will have already happened and they will in the end be used by the Israelis to help set up and maintain the next stages in what should now be aptly termed the "Apartheid peace process". **********************************************************************

LONDON, July 19 (AFP) - Palestinian commanders have been ordered to gather thousands of firebombs, grenades, and explosive suicide belts, in preparation for a feared all-out Israeli assault, according to a report published Thursday in London.

Foreign Report, published by the influential Jane's information group, says it has seen an official document circulated last week among the Palestinian commanders in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with precise instructions on how to cope with an Israeli assault.

It follows a report last week by the same journal, which said it had seen what it claimed was an executive summary of a proposal presented to the Israeli government on updated plans by generals for an all-out assault to smash the Palestinian authority.

The Israeli government denied the report, which claimed plans were afoot to force out Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and kill or detain his army.

Israeli reinforcements deployed to the West Bank earlier this week following a bloody surge of violence were to prevent further Palestinian attacks, according to Israel's army.

Quoting the official Palestinian document, Thursday's report details operational instructions that "thousands of Molotov cocktail firebombs should be prepared under the guidance of experts."

It goes on: "Prepare hand grenades and explosive belts for hundreds of suicide youths who will be willing to confront the advancing enemy troops."

Preparations should also be made "to block main roads with old cars, rocks and barrels to stop advancing Israeli attacks", the document says.

Regarding warfare instructions, it says: "You must save amunition. It is strictly forbidden to fire automatic light guns against tanks. Tanks should be attacked only with suitable weapons.

"Forward positions should be established by fighters willing to sacrifice their lives to stop the advancing enemy."

Among a series of orders relating to emergency planning, the document says first aid and medicines should be immediately stored and that food should be kept in underground shelters.

JERUSALEM, July 19 (AFP) - Israel on Thursday reiterated its strong objections to the deployment of international observers to oversee a ceasefire with the Palestinians, after foreign ministers from the Group of Eight gave their backing to the idea.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told Israel's second television channel that it was "important that no decision be taken to constrain the state of Israel into accepting an initiative that it rejects."

Defence Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer also expressed his opposition to the deployment of observers during a telephone conversation with US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

"The deployment of international observers would not contribute to calm on the ground, but on the contrary would create the feeling among the Palestinians that they had a shield behind which they would continue to carry out violence and terrorism," he said according to a defence ministry statement.

Earlier Sharon's spokesman Raanan Gissin told AFP: "As long as there is continuing violence and terrorism it would be useless to deploy monitors in the territories."

"The problem we face today in the territories is not a problem of observers, it's a problem of observance of the ceasefire. There is one side that is not fulfilling the Tenet proposal and that is the Palestinian Authority," he added.

He was referring to the truce mediated by US Central Intelligence Agency director George Tenet on June 13 that has so far failed to stem the tide of bloodshed that has engulfed the territories for almost 10 months.

"When you use forces in an area where there is active fighting, then you put their lives in jeopardy and their usefulness is limited," Gissin said.

Meeting in Rome, Group of Eight foreign ministers agreed to back in principle the deployment of international monitors to the Middle East after almost 10 months of deadly violence.

"We believe that in these circumstances third party monitoring accepted by both parties would serve their interests in implementing the Mitchell report," said in a document approved by the ministers of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.

The agreement would mark the first time the United States has accepted the principle of international monitors, an oft-repeated demand of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

But Gissin said there was already a mechanism in place to monitor the ceasefire -- meetings between top level Israeli and Palestinian security officials and CIA representatives.

"Right now what is important is for the international community and the G8 to use this occassion to come up with a resolution that tells Yasser Arafat: 'You must stop hostilities," he said.

Mid-East Realities

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Source: http://www.middleeast.org/articles/2001/7/294.htm