Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas agreed at a summit today to coordinate Israel's Gaza pullout, but Palestinians described the talks as disappointing.
Israeli vice prime minister Ehud Olmert
“We agreed during the meeting on full coordination of our departure from Gaza. A coordinated move will ensure a peaceful exit, something that is best for both sides,” Mr Sharon said, echoing remarks US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made during a weekend visit.
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie, who attended what officials described as a tense summit at Sharon's Jerusalem residence, said, however: “It was a difficult meeting and it did not meet our expectations.“
Mr Qurie told a news conference in the West Bank that Sharon had failed to give any positive response to issues the Palestinians raised, citing the reopening of Gaza's airport and further releases of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Washington is counting on Israel's evacuation of all 21 settlements in Gaza and four of 120 in the West Bank to kick-start a US-backed international “road map” peace plan.
Mr Sharon, however, reaffirmed his bedrock position that no progress could be made towards peace unless the Palestinian Authority led by Abbas cracked down on militants.
Addressing a hoteliers' convention, Mr Sharon complained the Palestinian Authority had taken “little action to prevent terror” and he threatened tough military action if gunmen tried to disrupt the pullout set to begin in mid-August.
In a gesture to Mr Abbas, Mr Sharon offered to pull back Israeli forces from Bethlehem and Qalqilya in the West Bank within two weeks but conditioned the move on a credible Palestinian plan to rein in militants there, the Israeli leader's spokesman said.