CAIRO, Aug 24 (IslamOnline) - Israeli Prime Minster Ariel Sharon claimed that Pope John Paul II told him that Israel is for Jews, Christians and Muslims, even though it was promised for the Jews only. Sharon further declared that time was not ripe for “concessions” to the Palestinians.

In an interview with the French magazine Le Point, Saturday, August 24, 2002, the hawkish Israeli leader said “no one has the right to sit on the negotiating table and impose definite borders on Israel”. He went on to say “the land we [Israelis] have were gained through victorious wars.

“I never heard about a victorious party offering concessions. However, Israel is ready to offer these concessions,” he claimed.

However, the Israeli Premier stopped short of talking about “his concessions” in detail, dubbing it wrong to “reveal the cards at a time of prevailing terrorism”. The Israelis insist on calling the legal Palestinian resistance against the occupation army “terrorism”.

Sharon claimed that the Pope of the Vatican told him that “Israel’s land was promised for the Jews only, adding, however, that Jews, Christians, and Muslims should live in it”.

Commenting on the Oslo Accords, the former Israeli General called the internationally recognized agreements, signed in 1993, “a tragic mistake”. He cited two reasons for his description; “Oslo Accords are too complicated to be implemented on the ground. They will result in placing the Israelis security in the hands of Palestinians”.

Sharon claimed Jerusalem has been the unified capital of the Jews for more than 3000 years, “therefore, Jerusalem is now Israel’s unified capital”.

“Since 1860, the Jewish minority has been the most influential people in Jerusalem. If you go to Hebron, you will find graves of Jews dating 200 years back. In Gaza, the Jews have lived for more than a century,” he claimed.

Currently, there are roughly 600 Jewish settlers living in Hebron, among over 120.000 Palestinians, on illegal settlements, seen by many, even Israelis themselves, as one of the major obstacles before settling the Israeli-Palestinian crisis.

Sharon claimed he was offering huge humanitarian help to the Palestinians

Sharon flatly expressed his desire to “strip Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat of his powers, especially the financial and security ones.

He further called on the European Union and Japan not to finance the Palestinian Authority, claiming that Arafat controls the funds and directs them to what Sharon termed as “terrorist organizations”.

About his reaction in case Arafat is re-elected in January, 2003, which is widely expected, Sharon said, “he [Arafat] could be given a ceremonial post, whereas all responsibilities to be in the hands of a Palestinian Prime Minister”.

The Israeli leader, seen by many as lacking a political agenda, said he was working closely with the U.S. administration in this respect, to “achieve the desired goals”.

Sharon’s only accepted plan, according to what he told the French magazine, is based on three stages. The first lies on the Palestinian side, where they are to dismantle the infrastructure of the so-called “terror organizations”. This will lead to the second stage of joint ventures. However, he did not elaborate on the kind or purpose of such ventures.