With continued Israeli policy of demolishing, breaking in, detention, Sharon stipulates stop to Intifada before talks on Road Map
US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs William Burns started his meetings with Israeli officials to discuss the Road Map while the Israeli occupation forces yesterday detained 26 Palestinians during inspection operation and demolishing of houses in various parts of the West Bank under the charge of their residents resisting occupation.
The Israeli occupation forces also arrested Ezz Eddine Hameed and Faraj Ahmad Hassan in al-Doha town to the North of Bethlehem where the Israeli armored vehicles broke into the houses and demolished the house of the Palestinian Tareq Hafez al-Frifi who carried out the attack operation near Tel Aviv in March.
The Israeli authorities arrested 20 Palestinians from Hebron, while an Israeli court sentenced Ali Nasser Oweis, the deputy chairman of the Fatah movement in the West Bank, to life imprisonment, and Palestinians resistance opened fire at an Israeli military position near Nefe Dekalim settlement in Gaza.
At the political level, Burns met in Jerusalem yesterday with the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon and reviewed with him amendments Israel wants to introduce into the Road Map. Sharon stipulated during the meeting that the Palestinian authority prime minister Mahmoud Abbas will ultimately halt the Intifada before talking about any meetings or resumption of negotiations between the two sides.
Burns also met with the Israeli defense minister Shaoul Mofaz and reviewed with him the American aids to Israel, while Burns stressed that Israel's security is considered a very important issue.
Meantime, Burns met with both Abbas and the chairman of the Palestinian legislative council Ahmad Qrei. Following the meeting, Qrei said that so far the Americans do not have a clear mechanism to implement the Road Map. Burns said that the two Palestinian and Israeli sides abide by items of the Road Map as declared in order to find out a settlement aiming at establishing a Palestinian state.
Qrei added that the Israeli side has to halt the settlements and the Palestinian side to stop what he called "terrorism."
Meantime, the chairman of the Palestinian authority Yasser Arafat yesterday in Ramullah met with the EU ME special envoy Miguel Moratinos.
The Israeli radio said that the meeting dealt with latest developments at the political level in the region, especially concerning the Road Map.