CAIRO, May 25 (IslamOnline.net) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s land-for peace offer to the Palestinians and qualified acceptance of the “roadmap” for peace is nothing but a tactical move to evade U.S. pressures, a political analyst said on Sunday, May 25.

“Faced with intensive pressures from Washington, Sharon tends to maneuver for containing them,” Abdel-Wahid Abdul-Majid, the deputy chairman of the Cairo-based Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, told IslamOnline.net.

But the agreement was accompanied by reaffirmation of Israeli “reservations” about the blueprint, which the United States has said would be addressed as it was being implemented, and rejection of any right for Palestinian refugees to return to their occupied homeland.

Abdul-Majid expressed guarded optimism over the Israeli “yes” vote of 12-7 to the plan after a stormy six-hour debate, as “ it is the first time Sharon expressed his qualified acceptance of it.”

“But Sharon’s Likud Party had earlier went to Madrid conference on the Middle East peace with the same proposals,” he added.

The political expert said that the more U.S. pressures increase, the more Sharon “finds himself in no space for maneuvering.”

Sharon said in an interview with Yediot Aharonot daily that "the moment has come to cut, the moment has arrived to say 'yes' to the Americans. The moment has arrived to divide this tract of land between us and the Palestinians."

So the Palestinians should cash in on the opportunity of the intensive Americans pressures on Israel and strike a unified stance over the “roadmap”, said Abdel-Mujid.

Washington has insisted that Sharon make a positive commitment to the roadmap but suggested Friday, May 23, that it would take notice of the reservations expressed by Israel over certain aspects of it.

“The Palestinians have no chance to maneuver, as Sharon did, as they could not say no to such American moves, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad,” he added.

Abdel Aziz al-Rantissi responded to the Israeli cabinet move by calling the road map "a conspiracy to liquidate the Palestinian cause and resistance," Reuters news agency reported.

Israeli occupation forces have recently stepped up aggressions against Palestinian areas, with daily incursions and shooting of civilians, including women and children. Palestinians said resistance is the only way to stop these practices.

"But we believe that for there to be an effective implementation of the road map, then Israel must help create a conducive environment by freeing detainees, halting settlements and military raids and closures," Palestinian Information Minister Nabil Amr told Dubai-based Al Arabiya television.

Meanwhile, the Israeli cabinet vote was welcomed by world countries and international Middle East peace brokers, including the U.S. and Russia.

"It's an important step forward,” said White House spokesman Adam Levine.

He added that his country looks forward to “working with all parties in the region to realize the vision of peace,” laid out by President Bush in his speech delivered on June 24, 2002.

In Russia, a foreign ministry spokesman said, "We welcome this decision by the Israeli cabinet and hope that Israeli government’s amendments of the plan will not prevent it being launched effectively as soon as possible."

"We consider it of cardinal importance that for the first time in history the Israeli government agrees officially with the right of the Palestinians to have their own sovereign state," the spokesman was quoted by Agence France-Presse (AFP) as saying.

German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer hailed Israel's qualified acceptance of the “roadmap” as "an important step" towards the creation of two states, Israel and Palestine.