[R-P] OS PLANOS DE SHARON

[Mario Jose de lima]

Sharon plans to annex half the West Bank, says coalition ally
By Inigo Gilmore in Jerusalem and David Wastell in Washington
(Filed: 21/04/2002)

THE Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon wants to annex up to half of the
West Bank under an unpublished plan for the Palestinian territories that he
is drawing up with close advisers, a senior minister in his government has
told The Telegraph.
The remarks by Ephraim Sneh, the transport minister, were a strong
indication that Mr Sharon wants to see the creation of a divided and
weakened Palestinian entity with far less land than envisaged under previous
peace plans.

Ariel Sharon: hoping to retain most Jewish settlements in the West Bank
"As far as I know, the strategy is to annex 50 per cent of the West Bank
[for Israel] and this is incompatible with a two-state solution. It is not
realistic," said Mr Sneh, a Labour member in Mr Sharon's coalition
government.
Danny Ayalon, a senior Sharon aide, said the prime minister would wait for a
regional peace conference to discuss his proposals for Palestinian
territory.
Mr Sneh was speaking at the end of a week in which Israel began winding up
its largest military operation in the West Bank for more than 30 years.
The army said yesterday that it would pull back from the centre of
Palestinian cities that it recently occupied and lift curfews.
Two places excluded from the limited withdrawal are the besieged compound in
Ramallah of Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader, and the Church of the
Nativity in Bethlehem. Israel wants the surrender of militants among those
holed up at the two locations.
Mr Sharon has played his cards close to his chest over his broader political
strategy, saying only that he is prepared to make "painful concessions" to
the Palestinians in the interests of long-term peace.
Mr Sneh's comments will deepen the debate about Mr Sharon's plans to create
a far diminished, cantonized Palestinian state compared with that outlined
in peace talks, and fuel speculation that Mr Sharon and the Israeli Right
are hoping to buy time in order to maintain the status quo and retain most
Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
Labour and the Right-wing parties - of which Mr Sharon's Likud is the
largest - have maintained a united front in the current anti-terror
crackdown. However, Mr Sneh indicated that rifts over a future political
settlement could cause the coalition to collapse.
Last week, Mr Sharon called for an international peace conference to address
Israeli-Palestinian issues, but demanded the exclusion of Mr Arafat.
Mr Ayalon, one of the prime minister's closest advisers, said the proposal
was genuine, but he would not be drawn on details of any plans to offer the
Palestinians a peace deal.
"Mr Sharon said he is prepared to discuss these issues in a conference and
President Bush has declared him to be a man of peace," said Mr Ayalon.
In a series of skirmishes yesterday, an Israeli policeman was shot dead by a
Palestinian attacker at a Gaza Strip crossing point. The attacker, found to
be wearing an explosive belt, was killed in the exchange.
Another Palestinian wearing an explosive belt blew himself up after being
stopped by the Israeli army near the West Bank town of Qalqilya. In the
southern Gaza Strip, six Palestinians were wounded in clashes near the
border with Egypt.
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, has guaranteed to increase oil production to make
up for any shortfall caused by a possible Islamic oil embargo. The offer
will be confirmed when Crown Prince Abdullah meets Mr Bush for the first
time in Washington this week.
Iraq recently cut oil supplies to the West in protest at Middle East events,
and other predominantly Muslim oil-exporting countries have threatened to
follow suit.
Saudi Arabia has the capacity to produce 10.5 million barrels a day within
three months, but is currently pumping out only seven million. Its spare
capacity of 3.5 million exceeds Iraq's total output.
The offer has been made despite Saudi frustration with United States policy
on Israel, Iraq and the war on terrorism.
However, the Saudis and Americans are braced for what one Washington
official predicted would be a "tough session" when the Crown Prince and Mr
Bush - two men known for straight-talking - meet in Texas on Thursday.
Mr Bush has praised Crown Prince Abdullah's peace plan for the Middle East.
However, recent signs that Mr Bush is again under pressure from senior
conservative colleagues to cut links with Mr Arafat will cause further
frictions.
Donald Rumsfeld, the US defence secretary, and Vice-President Dick Cheney
have held talks with Benjamin Netanyahu, the former Israeli premier, on how
to proceed if Mr Arafat were removed.
They met as Colin Powell, the secretary of state, was pursuing his ill-fated
peace mission to the Middle East that included two unproductive meetings
with the Palestinian leader.
King Abdullah II of Jordan is expected to meet Tony Blair in London tomorrow
for talks on the peace crisis. The king is meeting other Middle Eastern
leaders today.