[AFP] Israeli President Shimon Peres told Britain's Financial Times in an interview published Tuesday that "weak" and divided Palestinian factions were to blame for holding up a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. Peres said he was "in doubt" whether the two sides could reach an agreement by the end of the year. "The problem is that the Palestinians are split. They are weak and they are getting weaker." "In order to have a state, they have to make sure that a state will not become a base for attacking Israel. If we give back land we have to be sure that the land will not become the base for firing on us. The main problem is security." Peres ruled out talks with Hamas, which he said was "under the spell" of Iran.
2008-04-15 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive