WASHINGTON Ñ A new study by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy said the
State Department ignores or plays down major violations of Palestinian
terrorism. Under U.S. law, the department must provide Congress with a
determination of whether the Palestinian Authority has violated U.S. anti-terrorism guidelines and its
own commitment to end terrorism.
Earlier this month, the State Department submitted such a report that
reviewed PA activities during the period June 15, 2001 to December 15, 2001.
The report did not find any direct PA involvement in terrorism.
The Washington Institute, in an analysis authored by researcher Matthew
Levitt, said the State Department report acknowledges some PA shortcomings
over the reporting period, but "glosses over many gross violations of PA-PLO
peace commitments throughout this period," according to a report by Middle East Newsline.
The study said the State Department failed to consider the 500,000 PA
documents seized by Israel during its invasion of West Bank cities in April.
The documents, deemed as genuine by the State Department, included the
signature of PA Chairman Yasser Arafat on numerous expenditure orders to
Palestinian insurgents to attack Israel.
The Washington Institute disputes the State Department determination
that neither the PA nor the PLO leadership approved or encouraged
Palestinian attacks on Israel. The study cited a Sept. 16, 2001 letter from
the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade to Arafat's chief financial aide, Fuad Shubaki,
that requested funds for material to manufacture explosives.
Al Aqsa is on the State Department list of terrorist organizations.
"Multiple documents show Arafat approving payments to terrorists, often
after altering the amount, including some on the list of 36 people that
[U.S. envoy] Gen. Anthony Zinni presented to Arafat for arrest," the report
said.
Levitt, a former FBI official, said the Israeli-supplied PA documents
also dispute the State Department's assertion that "there is no conclusive
evidence that the senior leaderships of the PA or PLO were involved in
planning or approving specific acts of violence." The institute cited the
written requests by the PA General Intelligence for funds for suicide
attacks.
"Recently collected documentary evidence aside, the [State Department]
report failed to make use of the full range of material that has long been
available," Levitt said. "At a time when the administration is pressing the
PA to reform itself by becoming more open and transparent and by
establishing clear lines of responsibility, it is disappointing to find a
U.S. government document shying away from hard truths and hiding behind
disingenuous formulations."
The Washington Institute called on the State Department to issue an
updated version of its last report on PA activity. Many of the PA documents
released
by Israel deal with the last half of 2001 and were not considered in the
State Department review.
"Unless an amended report is issued quickly, calls for PA transparency
and compliance with commitments may well be read in the West Bank and Gaza
as 'kalam fadi,' empty words," the institute report said.
