Avnery: To Aqaba and Back
'Sharon's final objective has not changed, and in Aqaba he has said nothing to contradict it. If the Arabs cannot be removed from the country, they must be confined to isolated enclaves, which will be connected artificially by strips of land to create "contiguity". He is ready to call this a "Palestinian state". It will consist of 42% of the occupied territories, which themselves constitute 22% of Palestine before 1948. The main settlement blocs will remain as they are and eventually be annexed to Israel. No mention of Jerusalem or the refugees. As we have said many times: don't listen to what Sharon says, look at what he is doing with his hands.'

'A huge achievement. If the armed intifada ends, who can be said to have gained from the 32 months of bloody struggle? The objective answer: it is a draw... The draw has created a mood of hopelessness on both sides. Both have come to the conclusion that there is no military solution. But when there is a draw between two sides, one of which is a thousand times stronger than the other, it is a fantastic achievement for the weaker... The Oslo agreement was disabled at birth because it did not spell out the final destination: the State of Palestine side-by-side with the State of Israel. The Road Map clearly defines this aim, confirmed by the whole world and with the agreement of the most rightist government Israel ever had. This is a big step forward, a point of no return.'

Avnery: To Aqaba and Back
'Sharon's final objective has not changed, and in Aqaba he has said nothing to contradict it. If the Arabs cannot be removed from the country, they must be confined to isolated enclaves, which will be connected artificially by strips of land to create "contiguity". He is ready to call this a "Palestinian state". It will consist of 42% of the occupied territories, which themselves constitute 22% of Palestine before 1948. The main settlement blocs will remain as they are and eventually be annexed to Israel. No mention of Jerusalem or the refugees. As we have said many times: don't listen to what Sharon says, look at what he is doing with his hands.'

'A huge achievement. If the armed intifada ends, who can be said to have gained from the 32 months of bloody struggle? The objective answer: it is a draw... The draw has created a mood of hopelessness on both sides. Both have come to the conclusion that there is no military solution. But when there is a draw between two sides, one of which is a thousand times stronger than the other, it is a fantastic achievement for the weaker... The Oslo agreement was disabled at birth because it did not spell out the final destination: the State of Palestine side-by-side with the State of Israel. The Road Map clearly defines this aim, confirmed by the whole world and with the agreement of the most rightist government Israel ever had. This is a big step forward, a point of no return.'