Palestinians on Friday were disappointed from Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon's speech at the UN. Palestinian Planning Minister Ghassan al-Khatib told Israel Radio he was disappointed that Sharon referred to Jerusalem as the "eternal, undivided capital" of Israel and that he said Israel would continue building the West Bank separation fence.
On his part, Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said Friday the speech shows Sharon is interested in causing the failure of the internationally-backed road map, not in advancing the peace process, Israel Radio reported.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, meanwhile, urged Israel to hold final-status talks with the Palestinians. "We invite Sharon to resume negotiations including the issues of borders, refugees and Jerusalem, because peace is the way for Israel and Palestinians to live in dignity and security," Erekat said. "We stand ready in our responsibilities in the Palestinian Authority."
Sharon said Thursday night in his address to the UN General Assembly that "as someone whose path of life led him to be a fighter and commander in all Israel's wars," he "reaches out today to our Palestinian neighbors in a call for reconciliation and compromise to end the bloody conflict, and embark on the path which leads to peace and understanding between our peoples." Sharon said he viewed this as "my calling and my primary mission for the coming years."
Sharon's main political message was his call for the establishment of a Palestinian state: "The right of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel does not mean disregarding the rights of others in the land. The Palestinians will always be our neighbors. We respect them, and have no aspirations to rule over them. They are also entitled to freedom and to a national, sovereign existence in a state of their own."
Sharon called on Israel and the Palestinians to "work together," in order to "transform our plot of land, which is dear to both peoples, from a land of contention to a land of peace, for our children and grandchildren."
On the subject of the Gaza Strip pullout, Sharon said Israel had proven it that it was ready to make painful concessions to resolve the conflict. "Israeli society is undergoing a difficult crisis as a result of the disengagement, and now needs to heal the rifts. "Now it is the Palestinians' turn to prove their desire for peace. The end of Israeli control over and responsibility for the Gaza Strip allows the Palestinians, if they so wish, to develop their economy and build a peace-seeking society, which is developed, free, law-abiding, transparent, and which adheres to democratic principles," he told the General Assembly.
Sharon said the most important test of Palestinian leadership would be fulfilling its commitment "to put an end to terror and its infrastructures, eliminate the anarchic regime of armed gangs, and cease the incitement and indoctrination of hatred toward Israel and the Jews."
