Sharon accepts road map to Palestinian state
The plan is an attempt to end 32 months of fighting, freeze construction of Jewish homes on the West Bank and establish a Palestinian state by 2005 on land Israel has held for 36 years. The Bush administration, hoping to spur Middle East peacemaking, pledged to “fully and seriously” address Israel’s concerns about the plan. “The United States shares the view of the government of Israel that these are real concerns,” said a statement issued jointly by Secretary of State Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, President Bush’s national security adviser.
The statement stresses that there’s room to hear contrasting views on the so-called road map peace plan.
That opened the door for Israel’s formal acceptance of a formula for accord with the Palestinians, although, at a news conference in Paris, Powell said: “We are not planning on making any changes to the road map.”
One of Sharon’s main worries is that the road map, which requires the dismantling of recently established Israeli outposts, might be construed as requiring the dismantling of all Jewish settlements on the West Bank.
Sharon told the Israeli people last week that abandoning settlements was not on the horizon. Yesterday, however, Sharon said he is “prepared to accept” the plan and will present it to the cabinet for approval. The cabinet will discuss the peace plan tomorrow or Monday, said a Sharon adviser, Raanan Gissin. Sharon is expected to face stiff opposition from hard-line cabinet ministers, but Gissin said he expected a majority of ministers would vote in favour because of the US assurances.
Palestinian Information Minister Nabil Amr said the Palestinians “consider the Israeli acceptance as a positive step, but at the same time we still insist on the American and European promises and guarantees not to have any changes in the road map”.
A senior US administration official said at the White House that “we are now in this wonderful position of getting on with it”. He said Israel was concerned about security and about a Palestinian reform process moving forward.
The Palestinians have concerns as well, he said, citing whether Israel is willing to have a viable Palestinian state created. The latest developments were signs that the road map could survive despite a string of bloody suicide attacks this month in Israel.
In the Gaza Strip yesterday, Hamas attacked an Israeli bus with explosives in an apparent challenge to Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, who a day earlier had asked the Islamic militant group to halt attacks.
Hamas told Abbas it would consider stopping attacks on civilians in Israel, but would continue targeting Israeli settlers and soldiers. Israel has said it would not accept a partial truce.
The bus attack injured two people.
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