(Economist-UK) If handing over the main tasks of governance to the Palestinian Authority means that the Geneva Convention no longer applies to those tasks, then Israel could - as it says it will - continue providing services and letting in aid, but treat that as a mutual agreement instead of an obligation. International law never imagined anywhere like Gaza - a place neither fully occupied nor completely sovereign. Neutral observers are largely undecided. The International Committee of the Red Cross, whose remit to work in the territories depends on whether they count as occupied, says that Gaza's status will depend on "evolving facts on the ground." There have been a few studies by legal scholars, the upshot of which is the same. Daniel Taub, a lawyer at Israel's foreign ministry, takes the line: "To the extent that there are responsibilities we haven't yet transferred, we have to be accountable for these, just as the Palestinian side has to be accountable for the responsibilities it's received."
2005-09-02 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive