Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office denied recent reports that he intended to concede parts of Jerusalem in a final agreement with the Palestinians. The comments, published in Newsweek, quoted a Sharon advisor saying that Sharon intended to include portions of the city in a future Palestinian state, which would rest on 90 percent of the West Bank.
The Newsweek comments resulted in a barrage of criticism from right-wing Israeli politicians, including former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said that “the secret is out.”
“Sharon’s people are exposing what he’s trying to hide, but everyone already knows – Sharon will divide Jerusalem and bring the Palestinians to the 1967 borders,” Netanyahu said.
Sharon issued a statement Tuesday night in which he denied the comments, saying, "The remarks… are in total contradiction to my positions and opinions," according to Haaretz.
"The entire united Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel forever. The road map is the diplomatic plan that will guide Israel in the years to come, and whosoever says anything different is doing so of his own accord and in total contradiction to my position; and that is how the remarks should be treated," Sharon added.
The remarks were made in the Newsweek interview by pollster Kalman Gayer, who said that "Sharon would accept a Palestinian state in Gaza and 90 percent of the West Bank, and a compromise on Jerusalem, in exchange for peace."
According to the Newsweek reports, Gayer added that Sharon wanted to "lay the contours of an agreement with the Palestinians," by creating a Palestinian state in half the West Bank and implementing confidence-building measures.
© 2005 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
