Wye and the Palestinian Covenant:
New Demands from Israel?

Misleading Media Reports

* Another Times story, "With Conditions, Israel Cabinet Approves Accord," states that Israel:

"conditionally ratified the ... accord tonight, attaching a series of stipulations and threats that the Palestinians interpreted as overtures to conflict, not resolution."

* The Washington Post, in a story entitled "Israel Ratifies Pact, but Doubts Remain," states that the Israeli cabinet:

"added so many conditions to its narrow approval [of Wye] that U.S. officials said they fear fresh delays and disputes over implementing it are inevitable. ... The cabinet also demanded a 'properly conducted vote' by the 700-member Palestinian National Council to annul portions of its charter that call for Israel's destruction. That demand appears to be a rewriting of the Wye agreement ..."

* CNN, in a story entitled "Israelis Add Conditions to Wye River Agreement," reported:

"the Israelis are apparently imposing three conditions to ratification, superimposing new conditions beyond what they agreed to at the White House and at Wye... . Netanyahu is back to insisting that the full Palestinian National Council must muster a majority two-thirds majority vote to revoke clauses in the Palestinian Charter which the Israelis consider hostile to them."

Contrary to these reports Wye explicitly states that prior agreements, which require formal revocation of the Palestinian Covenant, are not superseded. Thus, rather than making new demands, Israel is merely insisting that the Palestinian side comply with prior agreements under which Israel has already made far-reaching concessions.

** Wye Memorandum Incorporates Previous Agreements

"facilitate implementation of the Interim Agreement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip of September 28, 1995 and other related agreements including the Note for the Record of January 17, 1997 (hereinafter referred to as the 'prior agreements') so that the Israeli and Palestinian sides can more effectively carry out their reciprocal responsibilities, including those relating to further redeployments and security, respectively. These steps are to be carried out in a parallel phased approach in accordance with the Memorandum and the attached time line. They are subject to the relevant terms and conditions of the prior agreements and do not supersede their other agreements."

"The PLO undertakes that, within two months of the date of the inauguration of the [Legislative] Council, the Palestinian National Council will convene and formally approve the necessary changes in regard to the Palestinian Covenant, as undertaken in the letters signed by the Chairman of the PLO and addressed to the Prime Minister of Israel, dated September 9, 1993 and May 4, 1994."

While the PNC did meet on April 24, 1996, rather than voting on specific changes to the Covenant (as required by the Covenant itself), it merely approved a resolution referring the matter to a legal committee which was to suggest a draft of a revised covenant. That committee has neither met nor even been formed. Recognizing this failure to change the Covenant, the Note for the Record of the Hebron Accord states under "Palestinian Responsibilities":

"The Palestinian side reaffirms its commitments to the following measures and principles in accordance with the Interim Agreement:

1. Complete the process of revising the Palestinian National Charter"

** Wye Memorandum on the Palestinian Covenant

In sum, the Wye Memorandum in no way supersedes prior agreements which require, among other things, that the Palestinians formally and definitively revoke all clauses in the Palestinian Covenant that call for armed struggle against Israel and that deny Israel's existence and legitimacy.

Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America
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