By Arnon Regular, Haaretz Correspondent, and News Agencies
September 12, 2005

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas marked the end of Israeli miltiary rule in Gaza with a trip to an evacuated settlement Monday, where he said that the next step for the Palestinians is to establish a state.

"What is important is not turn Gaza into a big jail," said Abbas. He reiterated that no agreement has been reached with Israel on the Egypt-Gaza border crossings, and said statehood was still a distant prospect.

"The next step is to end the occupation of the West Bank and to establish our state," said Abbas.
 
Abbas told the Palestinians that there is still a "long road" to statehood, but that the day was one for joy.

"Today our people have the right to celebrate their freedom, their dignity. This place was a taboo for us for the past 38 years and now we are standing here," Abbas said.

The remarks were similar to comments the PA leader made Sunday night, when he said the IDF pullout does not end the occupation of Gaza, and asked the international community to intervene and compel Israel to fulfill its commitments.

"The Strip is one large prison, and the army`s departure does not change this situation," Abbas said.

Abbas spoke after a press conference in Gaza, in which Civil Affairs Minister Mohammed Dahlan harshly attacked Israel and its treatment of the Gaza border crossings.
 
Abbas pledges to control Gaza by year`s end
In an interview published Monday, Abbas said he would be able to take control of Gaza within the next few months.

"Give me until the end of the year and I will be able to control the chaos in Gaza," Abbas told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera. "Now that the Israeli pullout is completed, we will be able to better deal with the problem."

But Abbas said he would not try to disarm the Hamas to assert PA control.

"There is no point at the moment, it would be a useless step that would be destined to start a civil war," Abbas said.
 
Dahlan: Israel doesn`t plan total Gaza pullout
Dahlan said Sunday that the two official ceremonies scheduled to take place Sunday were canceled because "the Palestinian leadership has understood that Israel does not intend to fulfill its commitment to a total withdrawal."

"The Erez crossing," Dahlan said, "is not at the correct location of June 4 [1967], and Israel has closed the Rafah crossing and is making unacceptable demands regarding it."

He was referring to the fact that Israel has dismantled much of the equipment in the Rafah terminal and unilaterally closed it. According to Dahlan, the Palestinians had agreed that merchandise be transported via Kerem Shalom for a year, and also to have third-party supervision at Rafah, but nevertheless Israel preferred to act unilaterally.

Dahlan added that the temporary arrangement at Kerem Shalom is acceptable, "but it is unacceptable that a Palestinian will have to travel 120 kilometers to request an Israeli permit to enter Gaza through the Erez terminal."

At present, Palestinians coming to the Gaza Strip from Egypt will be required first to travel to Kerem Shalom to receive an official Israeli permit of passage, and only then go on to the Erez crossing to enter the Strip. Dahlan accused Israel of dictating these terms to the Palestinians as well as of forcing them to comply by threatening that the rubble from Gush Katif would not be evacuated until this new policy is accepted.

Regarding the 27 synagogues in Gush Katif, Dahlan said that following the Israeli government`s decision not to destroy them, the PA plans to treat them like any other public buildings left behind in the settlements. "This is a trap the Israelis are trying to set for the PA," he said. "They will use this to present Palestinians as uncivilized and to justify future acts of violence against Muslim places of prayer."

Dahlan also accused Israeli of not keeping its commitment to dispose of toxic waste materials in Gush Katif, such as asbestos. His associates said that at least 20 percent of the older homes torn down in Gush Katif still contain asbestos.

Sources in Gaza said that on Tuesday the PA will hold its central celebrations, probably in the Muasi area near Khan Yunis and in Neveh Dekalim, the largest settlement in the Strip. After entry of the Palestinian police, and a survey of the evacuated area, citizens will be allowed to enter the settlement for several hours under the supervision of Palestinian security forces.
 
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