BICOM

Israel’s Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced yesterday that he will introduce a “carrot and stick” policy in the West Bank to impose restrictions on those who endorse terror and reward those who reject it.

Speaking to military correspondents, Lieberman explained that: “Anyone who is ready for coexistence will profit, and anyone who takes the route of terrorism will lose.” Consequently, he said that villages and locales in which terror is opposed will benefit from various development projects and increased building permits.

Specifically, he said that there are immediate plans to build a new hospital in the Palestinian town of Beit Sahur, a football pitch in Kafr Bidia and an industrial zone in Western Nablus. Lieberman also outlined that an economic corridor would be opened from Jericho to Jordan.

By contrast, areas deemed to proliferate terror will be subject to increased IDF activity, including searches, cancellation of permits and house demolitions. In practice, these measures are already applied in cases where terror attacks have been carried out from a specific location.

Lieberman also said that his plan would involve more direct contact with leading Palestinian figures. Until now, official Israeli contacts have been conducted through the Palestinian Authority (PA). Noting that Palestinian leaders routinely approach individual Israeli political, academic and cultural leaders, Lieberman said: “If there are intellectuals, academics, outstanding municipal officials – why should they talk to us through [PA President] Mahmoud Abbas? Our goal is to create a dialogue with anyone who wants to talk to us.”

Writing in Yediot Ahronot, military affairs correspondent Alex Fishman says that more permits and development in Palestinian areas of the West Bank “will strengthen the Palestinian Authority”, an outcome desired by Israel. He adds that those promoting diplomatic progress between Israel and the PA, such as France and Egypt, “are expected to appreciate this new policy”.