Sharon hope for peace

ISRAELI Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said yesterday that conditions are right for a breakthrough toward peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

“I believe that the conditions are now ripe to allow us and the Palestinians to reach a historic breakthrough in the relations between us,” he said.

His remarks followed a series of steps by the new Palestinian regime headed by Mahmoud Abbas, including efforts for a halt to militant attacks against Israelis and deployment of Palestinian police in Gaza to stop the attacks.