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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (29548)	5/14/2002 3:42:52 AM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 281500

A positive message from Sharm el Sheikh Ha'aretz English Edition Tuesday, May 14, 2002 Sivan 3, 5762 Israel Time: 10:30 (GMT+3) The summit conferences convened this weekend by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Sharm el Sheikh, with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Saudi Arabian Crown Price Abdullah, could indicate a positive direction that the Arab states intend to adopt to advance the political process. These meetings were a continuation of March's Arab League summit in Beirut that adopted the Saudi initiative, which sought to present an Arab-wide political horizon for the Middle East. Israel, according to that initiative, would enjoy normal relations with all Arab states if it were to adopt the basics of UN Security Resolutions 242 and 338 and reach a just solution to the refugee problem, compatible with resolution 194. Israel can regard those principles as a general framework for detailed negotiation between the sides. The developments on the ground - the continuing murderous attacks in Israel, Operation Defensive Shield, fear of the intifada leaking into Arab states, and the economic crisis faced by the nations of the region - accelerated the involvement of the Arab states and produced meetings between Arab leaders and the U.S. administration. The Arab sentiment is that there is an urgent need to restrain both sides - to prevent the Palestinians from continuing their suicide attacks and terror, which sowed fear and destruction in Israel, but did not yield any political fruit, and the Israelis, who toppled the Palestinian infrastructure and neutralized the Palestinian Authority's ability to operate its institutions. With the Saudi initiative, Arab leaders, for the first time, adopted the position that they would cooperate, for their part, and the Americans, for their part, in an effort to calm the crisis and create a framework for its resolution. This matured into a declaration of practical intentions when Crown Prince Abdullah reached an agreement with the American administration about a kind of division of labor: The United States will block Israel, while the Arab states undertake their responsibility - in other words, act to end the continuing terror and make an effort to bring the PA back to the negotiating table. These Arab efforts are now underway in their contacts with the PA and, more so, in public statements by Arab leaders who have vehemently condemned the suicide bombings. These leaders are making it clear that terrorism has not won the Palestinians any achievements. This new approach by Arab leaders is making clear to the sides that the violent conflict has exhausted itself and that the Arab leaders are not prepared to let the region be dragged into war. The Sharm summit, therefore, should be regarded as a significant positive development. After the peace process based on the Oslo formula was gravely damaged during 19 months of conflict, and following irreparable damage to Arafat's credibility as a partner, there is now a need for regional backing to rehabilitate the process. Israel, which wants to establish stable and peaceful relations with its neighbors, must examine the ways in which the Arab states can help calm the region and promote a solution to the conflict. This is the joint interest of Israel, the PA, and the states of the region, and it must be done to move onto the path to political negotiations. haaretzdaily.com

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (29548)	5/14/2002 4:37:25 AM
From: stockman_scott	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Poll shows most Israelis support Palestinian state Associated Press Tuesday May 14, 4:10 am Eastern Time JERUSALEM (AP) -- More than six out of 10 Israelis support a Palestinian state and strongly favor the current prime minister, Ariel Sharon, over his leading rival, Benjamin Netanyahu, as Israel's leader, according to an opinion poll released Tuesday. The Dahaf Institute poll was taken Monday, hours after Sharon, who heads the hardline Likud party, suffered a humiliating blow at his party's central committee meeting. Likud delegates voted overwhelmingly to oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state, now and in the future. Netanyahu was a leading backer of the resolution, while Sharon opposed it. The poll, published in the Yediot Ahronot newspaper, showed the defeat may not have hurt Sharon, with 63 percent supporting his position that a Palestinian state should be established in the framework of a future peace agreement. Sharon has laid out strict guidelines for the formation of such a state and continues to support the Jewish settlements that dot the West Bank and Gaza Strip, land Palestinians want for a future state. Sharon recently said he was not prepared to discuss the possibility of dismantling of any settlements, something the Palestinians see as essential to any peace deal. The poll found that 55 percent of all Israelis and 54 percent of Likud voters want Sharon to be the right-wing party's candidate for prime minister, while 23 percent of Israelis and 35 percent of Likud voters support Netanyahu, the former premier. The poll surveyed 501 Israelis and had a margin of error of 4.5 percent. Although the Likud central committee almost unanimously opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state at Sunday's meeting, the poll in Yediot Ahronot found 43 percent of Likud voters support such an entity. Fifty-one percent were opposed. A visibly upset Sharon told delegates after the vote he would continue to lead Israel toward peace and security. The crowd booed and jeered him as he quickly departed. Israeli political commentators said Sharon's defeat may have done more damage to Netanyahu, who they said came out looking like a petty politician. Yediot Ahronot reported that some 1,500 of the 2,500 members of the Likud central committee did not even show up at Sunday's meeting, attributing it to their disgust with the "destructive confrontation" between Netanyahu and Sharon. But analysts noted that the central committee meeting showed Sharon faces a serious challenge from the right, led by Netanyahu, who hopes to return to power in the next election, which much take place by November 2003. Netanyahu dismissed the commentators and the latest poll. "The public simply is not aware of the danger of such a state," he told Israel Radio. "If someone who fights against this danger and against making terrible historic mistakes that will cost us a great deal in the future is defined as a politician, then I will wear this tag proudly." biz.yahoo.com