Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres said today that peace talks due to follow the final withdrawal of forces from the Gaza Strip are unlikely if the Palestinian Authority proves unable maintain order in the territory.
A pullout ending a 38-year-old military presence could begin as early as Sunday, pending an Israeli cabinet vote on whether to destroy synagogues still standing in Gaza's 21 demolished Jewish settlements, and be over in less than 24 hours.
But Mr Peres put a damper on international hopes the withdrawal could kick-start negotiations on Palestinian statehood envisaged by a Middle East peace "road map" that has been stalled by nearly five years of violence.
"The Palestinians must demonstrate they are capable of controlling Gaza. If they do not demonstrate that, it will be very difficult to resume the negotiations," Mr Peres, an architect of interim peace deals with the Palestinians, told Israel Radio.
Underscoring the challenges Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas faces from powerful militant groups, some 25 gunmen from his Fatah faction took over two government offices in the central Gaza Strip to press demands for jobs, witnesses said.
The incident was the latest example of lawlessness in the impoverished coastal strip where 1.4 million Palestinians live. Palestinians are watching with a mixture of joy and scepticism. They fear Israel is trading tiny Gaza for a permanent hold on much larger swathes of the occupied West Bank where 245,000 settlers live.
The Israeli army blew up its last military posts in the Gaza Strip yesterday. Military sources said the withdrawal, following on the heels of 8,500 Jewish settlers evacuated last month, would take less than 24 hours.