Ariel Sharon's Gaza disengagement plan

Ariel Sharon's most senior adviser triggered a political storm in Israel yesterday when he said that the prime minister's much-touted &to= english.pravda.ru/printed.html?news_id=14221 ' target=_blank>Gaza disengagement plan was aimed at "freezing" the Middle East peace process and "indefinitely" postponing the creation of a &to= english.pravda.ru/diplomatic/2002/06/19/30632.html ' target=_blank>Palestinian state. The candid admissions by Dov Weisglass who, as Mr Sharon's closest aide, is said to be his master's voice, will prove highly embarrassing for President George W Bush as he suggests that Mr Sharon's strategy has the full blessing of Washington. "The significance of the disengagement plan is the freezing of the peace process," Mr Weisglass said in a interview with the Haaretz newspaper. "And when you freeze that process, you prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state, and you prevent a discussion on the refugees, the borders and Jerusalem. "Effectively, this whole package called the Palestinian state, with all that it entails, has been removed indefinitely from our agenda, informs the Telegraph. According to ABCNEWS, a top adviser to Prime Minister &to= english.pravda.ru/main/2002/04/22/27872.html ' target=_blank>Ariel Sharon said in a published interview Wednesday that Israel's planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip is meant to delay the establishment of a Palestinian state indefinitely, and claimed the United States supports the policy. The blunt assessment by Dov Weisglass, Sharon's point man with the Bush administration, came a week into a broad Israeli incursion in Gaza that has killed 75 people. Weisglass' comments, published in the Haaretz daily, contradicted the Israeli government's assurances that it remains committed to the U.S.-backed "road map," which calls for an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, but has been stalled for months amid violations by both sides. Weisglass' remarks angered the Israeli left and prompted Sharon's office to issue a damage-control statement saying Israel remains committed to the road map. However, in a newspaper interview last month, Sharon said Israel is no longer following the plan. In a radio interview Wednesday, Weisglass said his comments were taken out of context. Haaretz said the quotes were excerpts from a full interview it plans to print on Friday. The interview included the most far-reaching comments by a senior Israeli official on Sharon's policy toward the Palestinians.

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