Abbas' meeting with Sharon reached no conclusions

GAZA CITY, May 18 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The meeting between Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and his Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon reached no conclusions as Israel rebuffed the internationally-backed roadmap Mideast peace plan, Palestinian officials said Sunday, May 18.

Nabil Abu Rudeinah, President Arafat’s media adviser, said the meeting did cover a lot of issues, but “came up with nothing as Sharon insisted on brushing aside the roadmap.”

Rudeinah, speaking to Agence France Presse (AFP), said Sharon told Abbas that he could not accept the roadmap, taking “some difficulties on the internal front” as an excuse for rejecting the roadmap.

Arafat’s close aide, however, said that Sharon told Abbas that he supported the vision of U.S. President George W. Bush, who suggested the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside with Israel by 2005.

“He (Sharon) dwelt on all the issues on the agenda, but without making any commitments to each of them,” he added.

For his part, Palestinian Information Minister Nabil Amr said Abbas asked Sharon to put an end to the siege on Arafat and release prisoners “in order to create a positive atmosphere for putting the peace process back on track.”

“Abbas also asked him to put an end to the closure on the Palestinian people, to settlement activity and military operations, and to stop building the separation wall, between Israel and the West Bank,” he added.

Abbas and Sharon "agree to pursue their talks in the near future,” Amr said.

Earlier in the day, seven people were killed and 20 others injured when an Israeli bus was blown apart before the morning rush hour in occupied Jerusalem.

A Palestinian man also blew himself up almost simultaneously in Aram, a Palestinian village just north of French Hill, killing only himself.

Emergency Meeting 

Jewish settlers demonstrate in front of Sharon's office during a meeting between Sharon and Abbas

Meanwhile, Sharon summoned his cabinet for an emergency meeting later Sunday, following Jerusalem double attacks, Sharon’s office said.

"Sharon will confer with his cabinet at 6:00 pm (1500 GMT) following this wave of terrorist attacks," a statement said.

The Israeli army also slapped a curfew on the West Bank city of Ramallah Sunday morning.

The order was shouted to the population by Israeli patrols through loudspeakers, an AFP correspondent heard.

Ramallah is only five kilometers (three miles) from the French Hill neighborhood, where the bombing took place and houses the offices of Arafat, Abbas and the Palestinian parliament.

The Palestinian information minister issued a statement condemning the attacks and calling on Israel to “show restraint” in its response.

“We condemn these attacks, since it is the Palestinian position to condemn all attacks against civilians,” he said in a statement issued here.

“We urge the Israeli government to show restraint in its response. The Palestinian government and leadership are committed to taking measures to put an end to such attacks and create a positive climate for the resumption of talks,” he added.

Unrelated

But the Islamic resistance movement, Hamas, said Sunday the latest attacks were unrelated to a meeting between Abbas and Sharon, claiming no responsibility.

The Islamic Jihad, for its part, blasted the meeting as a “conspiracy,” but also did not claim responsibility.

“These operations are unrelated to the meeting between Abu Mazen and Ariel Sharon but corresponded with the commemoration of the 'catastrophe,'” of 1948, said Hamas official Abdelaziz al-Rantissi.

“I don't believe the resistance of the Palestinian people has anything to do with political issues. The only issue of relevance to martyrdom operations is occupation and the continuation of this occupation and hardships facing the Palestinian people,” he added.

"These operations are a message that the resistance is continuing to challenge the hardships facing the Palestinians. These hardships, which are being caused by the Jews since 1948, must end.

“The Zionists are investing in these political meetings in order to increase their aggression against our people,” he said.

Islamic Jihad representative Mohammed al-Hindi said “these Zionist-American meetings and conspiracies aim to give our people new illusions -- we will not believe them, and we refuse to be drawn into these conspiracies and illusions.”

“Sharon wants the Palestinians to implement the roadmap and spark clashes. Sharon in any case rejects the roadmap and says that the roadmap starts with inter-Palestinian fighting,” he added.

“The martyrdom operations destroy these illusions and let everyone knows that the Palestinians believe Israel does not want peace. It wants to massacre the Palestinians, to terrorize and occupy their lands," he added.