No independent Palestine, Sharon insists, rejects 'Road Map'
'Israel is to press George Bush to eliminate all reference to an "independent" Palestinian state from the US "road map" to a political settlement, which he promised on Friday to release soon. Ariel Sharon's government has drawn up a list of amendments it wants made. They include the replacement of independence by "certain attributes of sovereignty". It is not immediately clear what these are, but Mr Sharon has said what they do not include. Israel, he says, will retain control of the Palestinian state's external security, borders, airspace, and underground water resources, and will have a veto over treaties with other countries.

'Mr Sharon does not want to have to abide by international law and remove illegal Jewish settlements. His team has proposed that the settlements should be allowed to go on expanding until there is "a continuous and comprehensive security calm". Even then the government wants "natural growth" to be allowed. The Palestinians are pressing for the map's immediate implementation, but the Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants have dismissed Mr Bush's promise to release it as a "bribe" to enable the US to make war on Iraq.'

The PLO continues to lose ground to Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Why on earth cant the PLO articulate their basic demand for the withdrawal of Israeli soldiers and settlers from the Occupied Territories and the establishment of a Palestinian state in those territories? They perpetually fail to project their goals to the Israeli, Western and especially the American publics. They need to be 'on message'. All Palestinian spokespersons should be drilled that they are not allowed to speak accept that they clearly and explicitly articulate these demands on every occasion.

No independent Palestine, Sharon insists, rejects 'Road Map'
'Israel is to press George Bush to eliminate all reference to an "independent" Palestinian state from the US "road map" to a political settlement, which he promised on Friday to release soon. Ariel Sharon's government has drawn up a list of amendments it wants made. They include the replacement of independence by "certain attributes of sovereignty". It is not immediately clear what these are, but Mr Sharon has said what they do not include. Israel, he says, will retain control of the Palestinian state's external security, borders, airspace, and underground water resources, and will have a veto over treaties with other countries.

'Mr Sharon does not want to have to abide by international law and remove illegal Jewish settlements. His team has proposed that the settlements should be allowed to go on expanding until there is "a continuous and comprehensive security calm". Even then the government wants "natural growth" to be allowed. The Palestinians are pressing for the map's immediate implementation, but the Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants have dismissed Mr Bush's promise to release it as a "bribe" to enable the US to make war on Iraq.'

The PLO continues to lose ground to Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Why on earth cant the PLO articulate their basic demand for the withdrawal of Israeli soldiers and settlers from the Occupied Territories and the establishment of a Palestinian state in those territories? They perpetually fail to project their goals to the Israeli, Western and especially the American publics. They need to be 'on message'. All Palestinian spokespersons should be drilled that they are not allowed to speak accept that they clearly and explicitly articulate these demands on every occasion.