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Sharon Authorizes Peres to Negotiate Ceasefire with Palestinians
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Sunday authorized Foreign Minister Shimon Peres to discuss a ceasefire with the Palestinians, Israel Radio reported.
Sharon directed a senior Israeli army officer to join Peres in such meetings on the implementation of a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians.
Sharon held a two-hour meeting with Peres in the prime minister's residence in Jerusalem after a cabinet meeting, and decided to continue the discussions, the radio said.
Both of them agreed that no political negotiations will take place with the Palestinians before the end of the violence, which has been rocking the region since its eruption last September.
Peres told Sharon that the current Israeli policy cannot continue endlessly and that all ministers from his center-left Labor Party insist that the government hold serious deliberations on ways to achieve a ceasefire.
"You cannot fight fire with fire," Peres said.
"You must show a strong and determined will to end the violence, but we demand that the discussions on the ceasefire take place not only in military deliberations, but also in civilian discussions."
He said that closing the Orient House, the unofficial headquarters of the Palestine Liberation Organization in East Jerusalem, and other Palestinian institutions strengthened the need for negotiations, as without the moves, there is "little chance of reducing the level of violence."
Israeli Defense Minister Binjamin Ben Eliezer also supports this stance, expressing belief that there is no military solution to the violence.
Sharon and Peres also reportedly discussed "preserving the national unity and that Peres has no intention of resigning or threatening to resign."
The foreign minister has been under pressure from his supporters to resign from Sharon's government as Sharon has repeatedly expressed opposition to holding discussions with the Palestinians while the violence persists.
At a Labor Party meeting on Sunday, Peres said that Israel is not fulfilling its obligations to the Palestinians regarding an easing of economic sanctions on the Palestinian territories.
He called for a reduction of Palestinian incitement, easing of the Israeli closure on the Palestinians, a ceasefire agreement, and a reopening of talks between the two sides.
Following a suicide bombing attack in Jerusalem on Thursday, which killed 15 people and injured more than 100 others, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat called on Israel to declare a joint ceasefire.
Israel, in retaliation for the bombing, attacked a police station in the West Bank city of Ramallah and closed several Palestinian institutions in East Jerusalem.
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