Archives

JERUSALEM, Friday (Reuters)

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to set up buffer zones between Israel and the Palestinian territories drew Palestinian outrage on Friday, adding to tensions caused by the worst violence in 17 months of conflict.

Sharon, under pressure from the right and the left after a series of bombings and ambushes, said in a nationally televised speech on Thursday "security separation" from the Palestinians was the recipe for protecting Israelis from attacks.

But Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo condemned the move, which followed a day of Israeli reprisal raids that killed nine people, as an attempt to "create jails for the Palestinian people within their cities, towns and villages.

Sharon gave few details, but his comments were widely interpreted to mean he would seal off some Palestinian areas and might even put slices of Palestinian-ruled land bordering the Jewish state back under Israeli military control.

The right-wing prime minister tried to shore up Israelis' sagging morale, urging them to stand firm and ignore dissenting voices, but he offered no new ideas for ending the bloodshed.

His initiative appeared aimed at staving off growing criticism across the political spectrum for failing to subdue the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation despite stepped-up use of military might.

Sharon struck a stern tone toward the Palestinians following a second day of fierce bombardments of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in retaliation for the killing of six Israeli soldiers.

He vowed the military would not rest "until the terrorist network has been destroyed".

But he pledged: "Israel will do everything in its power to prevent a slide into total war". This week has seen the worst sustained violence since the start of the uprising in September 2000.

Despite that, Sharon ignored Yasser Arafat's conciliatory gesture earlier on Thursday in which he reiterated his December 16 ceasefire call to Palestinians.Palestinian cabinet minister Nabil Shaath said Sharon had "offered no hope...and opened no way to ending the confrontation and heading back to the peace table".

A U.S. State Department official said Sharon's plan could amount to the kind of unilateral action which Washington has opposed, but said the United States was reserving judgment.

Earlier President Yasser Arafat called on Thursday for Palestinians to cease fire in their nearly 17-month-old uprising following a wave of Israeli reprisal raids.

"We reiterate before all of you one more time the initiative that I launched on December 16 to make the ceasefire hold, and also to pursue the peace process," Arafat told a news conference after meeting religious leaders.

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries |

Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager