PALESTINIANS REJECT PEACE TALKS WITH ISRAEL

Sharon eases conditions for Palestinian talks
JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon signaled that he is dropping what was once his key demand for resuming peace talks — a Palestinian crackdown on militant groups. Sharon said in a speech Thursday that while he still wants the armed groups dismantled, any crackdown would be “complicated.” He said he now considers Palestinian efforts to stop incitement against Israel as a sufficient sign of goodwill.

Palestinians have refused to confront the militants, saying they fear civil war, and the standoff was one of the key obstacles in resuming negotiations. Israeli commentators described Sharon’s shift in position as dramatic. “There is no longer the demand ... of total war by the Palestinian Authority on terror groups, collecting weapons and governmental reform,” said a commentary in the Yediot Ahronot daily Friday.

PA: Israel should resume talks without preconditions
The Palestinian Authority on Friday rejected Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's condition that Palestinian incitement against Israel and Jews be stopped before any resumption of talks could occur. PA officials said Israel had to stop coming up with conditions for a resumption of dialogue.

Speaking after a meeting of top PA leaders in Ramallah on Friday, PA Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat said Israel should abandon its policy of placing conditions on the resumption of negotiations. Israel should resume negotiations without preconditions, "After all they decided to stop the negotiations, and not us," Erekat said. "(The Israelis) should begin by abandoning their policy of setting conditions and stop their incitement (against the Palestinians)," Erekat told Reuters on Friday.

OF COURSE IT'S THE PRECIOUS "ROAD MAP" OF THE U.S., RUSSIAN AND THE EU THAT STATES THE PALESTINIANS MUST STOP TERROR AND INCITEMENT BEFORE ISRAEL MAKES ANOTHER MOVE. WELL, ISRAEL WILL BE AROUND FOR A LONG TIME SO IT CAN WAIT FOR THIS ENTIRE GENERATION OF PALESTINIAN LEADERS TO DIE AND TALK PEACE WITH THE NEXT GENERATION.