(Ha'aretz) Gideon Alon - On Tuesday, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, "If the Palestinians take security responsibility for an area, they will be responsible for maintaining the cease-fire and will have to act to eliminate terror." "If we identify an intention to commit a terror attack, we will demand they take immediate action to foil it. But if they don't do so, we will act on our own," he said. "Certainly, if it's a ticking bomb and there's no time to tell them, we'll act on our own." He said Israel would not be satisfied with a cease-fire that is temporary and tactical, but would demand commitments to disarm the terrorist organizations, collect their weapons, and destroy the arms. There must also be a halt to the incitement against Israel, he said. According to a military intelligence officer who briefed the committee, Hamas accepted a three-month cease-fire, both inside the "green line" and in the territories.
2003-06-25 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive