MAALE ADUMIM, West Bank -- In the tan hills a few miles east of
Jerusalem, construction cranes dangle over a string of red-roofed neighborhoods
that make up the largest Jewish settlement in the West Bank. It is here that
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is reengaging with his electoral base following
Israel's efficient but divisive exit from the Gaza Strip.
Enjoying a moment of international sympathy, Sharon's government is
moving swiftly to capitalize on its unilateral withdrawal and ongoing demolition
of 25 Jewish settlements. The government's efforts are focused largely in the
West Bank, land of far more religious and strategic importance to Israel than
the remote slice of coastline it has left behind.
A little more than 31,000 Israelis live in Maale Adumim, a suburban
settlement built on land captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. Israeli
officials say it will grow to more than 50,000 people and eventually touch the
edge of East Jerusalem, even though the U.S. government and Palestinian leaders
have said that such growth would severely complicate efforts to establish a
viable Palestinian state.
Last week, as the world watched settlers being hauled from their homes
in Gaza, government officials ordered the confiscation of 400 acres of West Bank
land for a barrier that will separate Maale Adumim from Palestinian-populated
territory. Just east of the main settlement, where construction plans had been
frozen because of U.S. opposition, Israel will soon break ground on a new police
headquarters serving the entire West Bank.
"I hope Israel is not going to use the fact it has done something right
in withdrawing from Gaza in order to do a lot wrong regarding settlement
activities, the wall and other matters," said Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian
negotiator. "I hope they will use this to stay the course and to return to
negotiations."
The fate of these hilltops in the coming months will likely determine
whether Israel's withdrawal from Gaza refreshes the peace process or generates
new friction.
Palestinian officials say the move to begin construction in new
sections of Maale Adumim risks squandering the goodwill Israel generated by
uprooting settlements for the first time on land designated to be part of a
future Palestinian state.
Gaza has become the proving ground for that nascent state, and building
a viable economy and political culture there will depend in large part on the
nature of its connection to the more prosperous West Bank.
But Palestinian officials say Israel's plans around Jerusalem, a city
both sides claim as their capital, will make nation-building far more
difficult.
Sharon, seeking to shore up his tattered political base before next
year's elections, is acting on assurances he received last year from President
Bush after presenting him with his plan to evacuate all 21 Jewish settlements in
Gaza and four in the West Bank.
The April 2004 letter from Bush has become a cornerstone of Israeli
efforts to seek additional U.S. aid, propose borders beyond the demarcation
between Israel and the territories, and build within West Bank settlement blocs
such as Maale Adumim.
"In this case, the Palestinians are not giving the quid pro quo" for
the Gaza pullout, said Dore Gold, an adviser to Sharon. "This time, the quid pro
quo comes from the United States."
