Israel-PLO Talks Snarled by Jurisdictional Dispute

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators said Wednesday that they had concluded agreements on the transfer of civil administration to Palestinian self-rule but were still trying to unravel a dispute over how much legal jurisdiction Israel will retain in new Palestinian territories.

After Maj. Gen. Amnon Shahak, the chief Israeli negotiator, returned from an overnight consultation in Jerusalem, negotiators said they hoped they would be able to break the deadlock over whose laws will apply to non-Palestinians when Palestinians take over in Jericho and the Gaza Strip.

The dispute over legal jurisdiction is one of only a very few remaining out of two dozen security issues debated, delegates said. But it is considered so fundamental that it is likely to hold up any final agreement before today’s scheduled weekend recess in the talks.

Palestinians also feared it could delay any final agreement during the scheduled Middle East visit next week of Secretary of State Warren Christopher, who will travel to the region on Sunday.

“Unless we finish the jurisdiction issue, we will not be through,” chief Palestinian negotiator Nabil Shaath said. “Jurisdiction remains a major issue because it affects everything else. Other topics can be delayed, this topic cannot.”

Initially, Israel demanded authority over Israelis and all foreigners in the Palestinian autonomous zones, in addition to review over cases involving Palestinians accused of collaborating with Israeli authorities.

Shaath said Palestinians believe that full legal jurisdiction was granted them in the Declaration of Principles signed Sept. 13 by Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization.

“When we say there is Palestinian jurisdiction in Gaza and Jericho, it means that Palestinian law is the one dominating,” Shaath said. “As far as criminal law goes all over the world, jurisdiction is for the country involved, meaning if a person commits a crime in London, whether he is Belgian or French, he has to be judged in British courts.”

Palestinians said they had essentially concluded accords Wednesday on transfer of all areas of civil administration into Palestinian control, including the difficult issue of water sharing.