Killing exposes fragility of ceasefire in Middle East

After 1,000 days of violence, in which more than 800 Israelis and three times as many Palestinians have been killed, a ceasefire made a promising, if bumpy, start yesterday. Israeli troops began withdrawing from the Gaza Strip and opening roads to Palestinian traffic, but gunmen shot dead the Bulgarian driver of an Israeli lorry near the West Bank town of Jenin.

Ariel Sharon, Israel's Prime Minister, said he would not turn a blind eye to such violations, but Israeli security officials agreed to begin relaxing their stranglehold on West Bank cities by pulling out of Bethlehem tomorrow. Mr Sharon and Abu Mazen, the Palestinian Prime Minister, are scheduled to meet today to discuss implementation of the "road-map" for peace.

The Jenin shooting underlined the fragility of the ceasefire declared by Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Yasser Arafat's Fatah party on Sunday. Local leaders of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, affiliated to Fatah, issued a statement claiming responsibility.

"There is no ceasefire with the enemy until the release of all Palestinian and Arab prisoners without any exception," it said. The leaflet also demanded Israeli withdrawal from all the occupied territories and a lifting of the blockade on Mr Arafat's Ramallah headquarters as a condition for ending hostilities.

Haider Irshed, Jenin's Palestinian governor, insisted, however, that the shooting was an act of individuals. "The Palestinian Authority is very clear," he said. "We want to maintain the ceasefire." Asked what he would do about the al-Aqsa rebels, Mr Irshed replied lamely: "We are waiting for instructions."

Israel, which says it is not a party to the ceasefire, continues to insist that Abu Mazen tames the militias, but the Palestinian leader has said repeatedly that he will not risk a civil war.

Mr Sharon's spokesman, Raanan Gissin, told The Independent: "The ceasefire is none of our business. It is an internal agreement between warlords. What binds us is the understanding we have with the Palestinian Authority. They are the only legal entity with which we deal.

"They are expected to comply with all the obligations they undertook. They are committed to bring about an end to violence and incitement and to disarm the terrorist organisations. If that doesn't happen, we will do whatever is necessary to protect our citizens."

None the less, the ceasefire has opened the way for implementing the road-map, drafted by the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations. It calls for the establishment of a Palestinian state by the end of 2005. Israel is now playing its part on the ground.

The truce was a product of tough talk over the weekend from President George Bush's National Security Adviser, Condoleezza Rice. She endorsed Israel's demand for Abu Mazen to disarm the militias, but also registered Washington's concern that the security fence Mr Sharon is building across the West Bank will dictate the final border between Israel and Palestine.

Acknowledging that Hamas held the key to war or peace, Ms Rice hinted at massive American aid to relieve Palestinian social distress and create jobs. Hamas draws much of its strength from its grassroots educational and welfare schemes. Unlike the Palestinian Authority, it is seen to deliver.

The US cash would cut the ground from under the Islamist movement, whose declared long-term objective is still a Muslim state in the whole of historic Palestine.

Ten years after the false dawn of the Oslo accords, no one was dancing last night in the streets of Israel or Palestine. Mutual distrust is deep and bitter, and scepticism reigns.

Israelis worry that the Palestinians will use the ceasefire to regroup for deadlier mayhem. Palestinians suspect that Mr Sharon, who is due in London for talks with Tony Blair later this month, is currying international favour. They do not believe he will freeze settlement building, stop killing their commanders, or keep his tanks off their doorsteps.

Yet there is a hope, however faint, that this time something might be changing. Both peoples are weary of the battle. The violence has brought grief all round. Victory, for Israelis or Palestinians, is elusive. Above all, the Americans are showing that - so far - they mean business.

Israeli infantrymen leaving Gaza yesterday showed all the elation of their counterparts who put the killing fields of Lebanon behind them three years ago.

"Everything will not go smoothly," Sima Kadmon, a political commentator, wrote in the daily paper Yediot Aharonot yesterday. "There will be more terror attacks, followed by more targeted killings. And there are enough people who will miss no opportunity to spoil the party. But we can walk around today with a good feeling.

"We may not be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel yet, but we can already see light in the darkness. It is the yellow lights, the headlights of the troops coming home."