<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=windows-1255"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.2600.0" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Last update - 07:44 16/03/2003<BR>Israel removes all mention of 'independent' state in 'road map'<BR>By Aluf Benn in Ha'aretz</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>All mention of an "independent" Palestinian state has been eliminated in Israel's response to the "road map" prepared by the Quartet - the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>An "independent" Palestinian state, which would be initially established along temporary borders, is replaced with "certain attributes of sovereignty" and any such state is required to be "credible" and "law abiding." </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>According to Israeli officials the term "independent" requires clarification and they point out that it was also omitted from George Bush's June 24, 2002 speech upon which the road map is based. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Israel is also presenting stiff terms for moving beyond the first stage of the plan, which concentrates on a cease-fire, Palestinian reforms and gradual withdrawal from territories occupied by the IDF since the intifada began, to the second stage in which a Palestinian state will eventually be formed within temporary borders. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>According to the Israeli document, progress will be "conditioned upon the complete cessation of violence and terrorism, full disarmament of terrorist organizations, their capabilities and infrastructure, the complete collection of illegal weapons and the emergence of a new and different [Palestinian] leadership." </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The Israeli document demands that the Palestinian state that will emerge in an agreement with Israel and will do so following direct negotiations between the two sides and not through dialogue and understandings as the road map states. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Israel also rejects the demand of immediate removal of all illegal outposts set up in the territories during the government of Ariel Sharon. According to the Israeli version, the government will "enforce the law in relation to the outposts." </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>For the first time, in this document, Israel delineates the terms under which it will agree to a freeze in settlement activity: "following a continuous and comprehensive security calm." </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Israel rejects the notion that the freeze will also include the natural growth of settlements. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The document rejects a further withdrawal in the West Bank, according to the Oslo Accords, and the removal of settlements in order to grant territorial continuity to a Palestinian state - even during the stage of the temporary borders. </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The Israeli document says the future of the settlements will be determined only by a final agreement and therefore Israel is only willing to grant territorial continuity to the Palestinians only where "this is possible." </FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>For the rest of the article: <A href="http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/objects/pages/PrintArticleEn.jhtml?itemNo=273375">http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/objects/pages/PrintArticleEn.jhtml?itemNo=273375</A></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV></BODY></HTML>