By Ryan Jones
Sep 16, 2005
The Palestinian Authority is glad Gaza is free of Jews, but rejected Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's notion the ?disengagement? was a major peace gesture that must now be reciprocated.
Responding to Sharon's speech before the UN General Assembly a day earlier, PA spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said Friday it was clear the Israeli wanted the peace process to fail after he demanded the ?Palestinians? finally honor their commitment to eliminate anti-Jewish terror.
In his Thursday afternoon address to the world's leaders, Sharon emphasized that while the Land of Israel was precious to the Jews, he was prepared to sell the nation's birthright for a paper agreement with the Arabs.
Chief ?Palestinian? negotiator Saeb Erekat said if Israel really wanted ?peace,? it must follow up the Gaza pullout by leaving all of Judea and Samaria, including eastern Jerusalem, without preconditions.
?The problem can only be solved be ending the occupation that began in 1967. The way to peace and stability is through an end to occupation,? Erekat told Reuters.
PA National Security Advisor Jibril Rajoub concurred, saying the ?Palestinians? were looking for Sharon to announce Israel's intention to make a full retreat to its pre-1967 borders, indicating the prime minister's desire for reconciliation was simply not enough.
Regarding Jerusalem, Palestinian Planning Minister Ghassan al-Khatib in a morning interview with Israel Radio took issue with Sharon's reference to the city as Israel's ?eternal undivided capital? at the opening of his speech.
Since Israel's departure from Gaza, ?Palestinian? officials from Hamas to the PLO have highlighted their desire to now wrest Jerusalem from the hands of the Jews.