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It is not enough to merely highlight the events taking place in the recently liberated Palestinian territory of Gaza. The dangers require more efforts to prevent the worse consequences of Israeli actions.

Gaza was freed of its illegal settlers and military installations only four months ago on August 15. Sadly,

however, since the eviction of settlers and army installations, the situation in the territory has not improved, nor does it seem to be heading in the right direction. Following an incident where Qassam rockets were fired into southern Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, along with his Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, proposed a plan to establish an Israeli controlled buffer zone that Palestinians would be barred from entering. Since the Qassam incident, which injured nobody, the Israeli army has launched multiple air assaults, in an effort to clear this buffer zone.

According to Israeli ministerial sources, "the defense minister has ordered the army to apply from Monday evening a decision taken last Thursday, setting up a limitation on Palestinians circulating in the northern Gaza Strip." This potentially means (and Israel has set many precedents) that any Palestinian straying into a no-man's zone, the extent of which will be determined by Israel, could be shot by troops from across the border.

So what does this most recent and disturbing development mean? First, it is yet another piece of evidence, for those who don't already know it, that Gaza is still not free. More detrimentally, the territory remains at the mercy of the Israeli Army at any time. Secondly, the creation of the buffer zone, if anything, represents the de facto illegal reoccupation of an area that was "freed" only months ago, after an occupation that lasted 39 years. Thirdly, the buffer zone is no more than an embodiment of Israel's official policy toward the Palestinians. Basically, this policy implies that if Israeli-dictated agreements do not suit the Palestinians, then Israel will force such agreements upon them through the disproportionate use of military force, whether through some form of occupation or the use of collective punishment to force Palestinians to comply with Israeli terms. 

Furthermore, this Israeli buffer zone should be analyzed in the context of this continuing Palestinian-Israeli conflict. This requires taking this latest

developments and adding it to a list of other violations that Israel has committed against the Palestinians.

Israel has yet to agree, despite international pressure, to the opening of a bus convoy link between Gaza and the West Bank. Then there is Israel's threat to disrupt or prevent Palestinians from participating in the Palestinian legislative elections, set to take place on January 25. Moreover, Israeli forces have been observing a complete closure on the West Bank, contrary to the most basic of freedoms - the right to freedom of movement. These practices are coupled with the continued construction of settlements and the annexation and segregation of Palestinian land. And then, as

icing on the cake, there is the new Israeli terminal that has been made functional at the gates of the biblical city of Bethlehem, which has had a greatly detrimental effect on this year's Christmas festivities. So where do Palestinians go from here? The answer is very simple. Palestinians have been facing Israel's ruthless onslaught in the form of a prolonged and illegal occupation through sheer determination, continued sacrifices and steadfastness, and this should continue. However, these attributes that Palestinians carry within themselves are, if anything, a means to survive, but not much more.

 A year ago, after the death of Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, there was much talk of peace. Since the unilateral disengagement from Gaza, the talk of a peace process was amplified and then finally the creation of new political party by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon - which has been established on the premise of making a final and lasting peace with the Palestinians - has further magnified that overused and popular word "peace."

Once again Miftah would like to remind all the parties involved in the Middle East crisis that only true and fair negotiations will lead to a comprehensive and just peace between Israelis and Palestinians, and not the language that Israel imposes, or that of Palestinian extremists.

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