Dahlan: PA will cooperate, if pullout is complete

Palestinian Minister Mohammed Dahlan listed Saturday the Palestinian Authority conditions to cooperate with Israel in the implementation of the disengagement plan, saying it should be complete, part of road map, provide PA with full control over borders, and a safe passage between Gaza and the West bank.

In a press conference in the city of Gaza, Dahlan explained that without a safe passage between Gaza and the West bank, an agreement on establishing and pertaining Gaza seaport and airport, PA full control over all border crossings, and an organized handover to the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian  side will not be able to coordinate the pullout with Israel.

Dahlan also said that the PA has formed several technical teams to study the different aspects of the pullout and present recommendations.

’42 Palestinian experts are working day and night to provide the Palestinian leadership with recommendations concerning the various aspects of the pullout plan’ Dahlan told reporters.

‘95% of the areas slated for evacuation are state properties, it belongs to the Palestinian people; it is our duty to protect such properties as the occupation departs’ Dahlan added.

The PA minister also said that any private properties will be handed back to its original owners, and that the Palestinian Justice ministry and the Land authority would work with private owners to decide on the fate of constructions established on a privately owned land. 

Dahlan warned against deals to purchase properties inside settlements slated for evacuation, saying such bargains, if it takes place, would be illegal.

Dahlan also said that the PA is planning to privatize all settlements’ industrial and agricultural structures after the pullout, saying it would provide jobs for dozens of thousands of Palestinian workers. 

The minister denied any intentions to sell evacuated properties to international, Israeli, or even Arab investors, affirming that Palestinian Private investors are qualified to ‘do the job.’     

Dahlan described the proposal to establish an independent authority to administrate the Gaza Strip after the pullout as dangerous, saying that the PA will be the only legitimate authority in the Palestinian Strip.