Sharon, long a champion of Jewish settlement on land
occupied by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, told the
liberal daily Ha'aretz he was ready to take steps "that are
painful for every Jew and for me personally."
"Our whole history is bound up with these places:
Bethlehem, Shiloh, Beit El. I know that we will have to part
with some of these places," the former general said in an
interview.
"I have decided to make every effort to reach a (peace)
settlement. I feel that the rational necessity to reach a
settlement is overcoming my feelings," he said.
Shiloh and Beit El are Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
Bethlehem was reoccupied by Israel last June along with six
other Palestinian West Bank cities after a spate of Palestinian
suicide bombings. All seven obtained self-rule under interim
peace deals in 1993-94 that Sharon opposed while out of power.
The international community says Jewish settlements are
illegal under international law. Israel disputes this.
Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinian minister close to
President Yasser Arafat (news - web sites), said Sharon's remarks seemed to be
"public relations tactics." Erekat said Palestinians demanded
deeds, not words.
Sharon's chief of staff, Dov Weisglass, headed to
Washington to discuss Israeli reservations about an
international peace "road map" that calls for a Palestinian
state by 2005.
President Bush (news - web sites) has said he will release the plan after
Mahmoud Abbas, named as Palestinian prime minister to carry out
reforms deemed crucial to defusing conflict with Israel,
presents his cabinet -- expected within two weeks.
PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD
The roadmap calls for a series of measures, including a
halt to Palestinian violence in a 30-month-old uprising and an
end to Jewish settlement building in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip (news - web sites), to pave the way for Palestinian statehood in the two
territories.
Sharon said he was optimistic that the success of U.S.-led
forces in toppling Saddam, a sworn enemy of Israel and strong
supporter of Palestinian militants, would help revive
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks frozen since 2000.
"The move carried out in Iraq (news - web sites) generated a shock through the
Middle East and it brings with it a prospect of great change,"
he said. "There is an opportunity here to forge a different
relationship between us and the Arab states and between us and
the Palestinians. That opportunity must not be neglected."
Erekat said Sharon's remarks seemed to be "public relations
tactics" to camouflage what Palestinians regard as Israel's
reluctance to grant them a viable state.
"He speaks vaguely in English about painful concessions for
peace while giving orders in Hebrew to intensify settlement
activities," Erekat told Reuters.
"We believe that the whole world is still waiting to hear
Sharon's unconditional and unequivocal acceptance of the road
map and not merely vague statements made for PR and media. We
need to see deeds, not hollow words."
The breakdown of negotiations on terms for a Palestinian
state led to the eruption of the Palestinian uprising that has
killed at least 1,990 Palestinians and 729 Israelis.
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