(Ha'aretz) Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel need not grant Mahmoud Abbas concessions in return for a cease-fire. "I do not believe that Israel must give something," Netanyahu told Army Radio. "They must give something," he said, referring to the Palestinians. "They are the side that transgressed. They are the side that tried with the force of terror to advance the terrible results that they sought." "First, I would prefer to see results. A truce can be an opening for a positive development, or a time-out between two offensives of terrorism. If Abu Mazen and his government begin dismantling the terror organizations, confiscate their weapons, and stop the poisonous incitement against Israel, then we'll know we are in the right direction. These elements must be dismantled. It's clear as the sun. It is a fundamental demand of Israel," he said.
2005-01-24 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive