Israel and the United States clashed today over a US-backed peace plan, with Washington reportedly saying it will publish the "roadmap" despite Israeli demands for further changes.
Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom stressed after a meeting with US President George W. Bush that the Palestinians had to fight "terrorism" before any implementation of the peace plan.
"The end of terrorism constitutes the central question for a return to negotiations with the Palestinians," Mr Shalom said.
The "roadmap" is a plan setting out the steps to Palestinian statehood by the year 2005. Based on a speech on the Middle East by Mr Bush last June, it was drafted by US, UN, EU and Russian diplomats, but Israel has raised a number of objections.
Foremost among its complaints is the fear that the plan might progress from one phase to the next without really tackling the problem of powerful militant groups attacking Israel.
Israel has reportedly proposed 100 changes to the plan and has convinced the United States to delay its publication, despite European objections, until after its January 28th elections.
But Israeli public radio quoted sources in Washington as saying that the US administration did not intend to make any changes to the roadmap and that it would be published "as it was".
It peace plan has been further delayed as the moderate new Palestinian prime minister, Mr Mahmud Abbas, forms his own cabinet, in a move meant to sideline veteran Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. Mr Arafat is seen by Israel and Washington as an obstacle to peace.
Washington has also chided both Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) over human rights abuses, noting "problems" with Israel's treatment of Israeli Arabs, while accusing the Palestinian administration of having a "poor" human rights record and continuing "to commit numerous, serious abuses".
AFP