Sharon Defends Cabinet’s "Road Map" Endorsement

Sharon said in a meeting with fellow members of the conservative Likud Party, according to Reuters, ”We don’t like the word, but this is occupation. To keep 3.5 million Palestinians under occupation is bad for Israel and the Palestinians.”

The cabinet approved the “road map” but added 14 points of concern or “reservations.” Those points include calls for the complete dismantling and rebuilding of the Palestinian security force, the destruction of terrorist groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and “the waiver of any right of return for Palestinian refugees to the State of Israel.”

The U.S.-backed road map calls for the Palestinian security force to be “rebuilt and refocused” and for “sustained, targeted, and effective operations aimed at confronting all those engaged in terror and dismantlement of terrorist capabilities and infrastructure,” but does not name a particular group. It also says refugee issues are to be discussed in international forums.

The approval of the road map may pave the way for talks between the new Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, Sharon and President Bush, which are tentatively scheduled for next week.

However, the prime minister called the reservations “red lines” that Israel won’t cross, National Public Radio reported Tuesday.

“Don’t forget Israel is going to be taking a great risk, we’re talking about pulling back Israeli forces to the lines of September 2000 in the first phase of the road map,” Sharon spokesman Dore Gold told NPR Tuesday. “If Israel pulls back its forces but there is no Palestinian security service preventing these attacks from occurring then Israel will be swamped with a wave of suicide attacks and many Israelis will die.”

Sharon’s comments mark the first time he has referred to the Israeli controlled areas as occupied territory. Sharon and the Likud party have been proponents of Jewish housing settlements in the Palestinian areas.

Some Israelis believe the land, which was seized from Jordan and Egypt during the Six Day war in 1967, rightfully belongs to Israel. Many Israeli leaders have claimed the land as a necessary buffer zone needed to protect Israel from attacks by its neighbors.

Most Palestinians and many Arab governments argue that the Israeli presence is an illegal occupation of territory.

The road map calls for the eventual complete withdrawal of Israel from the West Bank and Gaza and the establishment of a Palestinian state as early as 2005.

Palestinian leaders have approved the road map as it is written and have said if the peace process is to continue Israel must accept it “without conditions.”

Sharon faced criticism from his party colleagues for approving the plan and made the comments about “occupation” during a spirited defense of the decision.

Sharon and newly elected Abbas plan to meet later this week in preparation for a possible summit with President Bush next week in Jordan. The meeting between the Israeli and Palestinian leaders was originally scheduled for Wednesday, but Abbas postponed the meeting, citing scheduling conflicts.

On May 22, Abbas met with leaders of the militant group Hamas. The Israeli government considers Hamas a terrorist group that should not be negotiated with and must be disarmed. Abbas has said he prefers to have a dialogue with such groups.