“A settlement must be negotiated and we would oppose any Israeli effort to impose a settlement,” McClellan (AFP)

WASHINGTON, December 19 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Washington Thursday, December 18, warned Israel that it would oppose any unilateral Israeli move towards a Middle East settlement that falls outside the U.S.-backed road map for peace. The Palestinians also dismissed Israeli “threats”, branding them unacceptable.

The warning and rejection came after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said in a speech he would implement his own “unilateral measures” if the Palestinians did not meet their road map commitments in the coming months, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The United States "would oppose any unilateral steps that block the road towards negotiations under the road map that leads to the two state vision," White House spokesman, Scott McClellan, was quoted by AFP as saying.

U.S. officials believe "that a settlement must be negotiated and we would oppose any Israeli effort to impose a settlement," said McClellan.

The White House spokesman also pressed for a prompt meeting between Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei, saying, "We urge them to meet very soon."

McClellan, however, said that U.S. officials "are pleased with a number of things that (Sharon) said in his remarks, particularly his commitment to move forward on the road map," as well as his promise to dismantle Jewish settlements in the Palestinian territories.

"Unilateral steps can help the road map move forward if they are part of the road map. Israeli actions to remove outposts and settlements are part of the road map," McClellan said.

Measures that "ease the condition of Palestinian life, that reduce frictions and violence and help reduce terrorist activity are of course parts of the road map," he added.

The "road map" plan, supported by the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia, is a multi-stage plan leading to the creation of a Palestinian state in 2005.

In his speech Thursday, Sharon said Israel wants "to speedily advance implementation of the road map towards a quiet and genuine peace.

"We hope that the Palestinian Authority will carry out its part. However if in a few months the Palestinians still continue to disregard their part in implementing the road map, then Israel will initiate the unilateral security step of disengagement from the Palestinians," Sharon said.

Sharon also said Israel "will greatly accelerate" the construction of the controversial security barrier, which he described as a "fence" that would allow security forces "to remove roadblocks and ease the daily lives of the Palestinian population not involved in terror."

McClellan said Washington had "concerns about the fence. It's not that we necessarily oppose construction of the fence, but we oppose a route that interferes with the normal Palestinian life or makes building a viable Palestinian state impossible."

The barrier does not follow the Green Line marking the boundary between Israel and the West Bank and cuts deep into Palestinian territory in places, drawing a barrage of international criticism.

Threats Unacceptable

"I am disappointed that he is threatening the Palestinians," Qorei (AFP)

Qorei, on his part, said he was disappointed at Sharon's "threats" to disengage, saying Palestinians were "committed" to reaching a permanent agreement and ending the conflict.

"I am disappointed that he is threatening the Palestinians," said Qorei, according to the BBC online news service.

"We are committed to the roadmap," he added.

Nabil Abu Rudeina, an advisor to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, said Sharon was trying to tear up the roadmap.

"These declarations represent nothing new and amount to a rejection of the roadmap.

"The alternative proposed by Sharon is inapplicable," he was quoted by BBC as saying.

Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the spiritual leader of the Islamic resistance group Hamas, called Sharon's plan "a delusion to fool the world".

"Sharon is asking Palestinians to raise white flags, to surrender. This is totally rejected by our people. We will not surrender and our people will defend themselves," he said.

Settlers Angry

“Israel will initiate the unilateral security step of disengagement from the Palestinians," Sharon (AFP)

Israeli settlers also expressed opposition to Sharon's pledge to dismantle settlements, vowing to prevent its implementation.

Settler spokesman Yehoshua Mor-Yosef said the proposals "will escalate terror".

"The dismantling of settlements and expulsion of Jews from their homes will only increase the appetite of the murderer," he said.

Effie Eitam, leader of the pro-settler National Religious Party, which commands six seats in the Israeli coalition, threatened to quit the government.

Some Israeli critics of Sharon's plan have taken comfort in his lack of detail, saying they doubt the measures will really be implemented, according to the BBC Correspondent in occupied Jerusalem.