OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 19 November — Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon rejected yesterday a European Union call to set in motion an internationally backed truce-to-talks plan, saying Palestinians had not done enough to stop violence.
Sharon said Israel stood firm in demanding a seven-day halt to what he called Palestinian terrorism before implementation of proposals by a panel led by former US senator, George Mitchell.
A Palestinian peace negotiator responded by saying Sharon’s only aim was to destroy the peace process and the Palestinian Authority.
Israel also rejected a UN plan which called for the uprooting of all Israeli settlements in the Strip, and an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank.
The United Nations special envoy to the Middle East Terre Larsen presented Israel with the proposal for a cease-fire in its conflict with the Palestinians, which calls for a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the Israeli media reported yesterday.
Israeli Minister Dan Meridor, who met with Larsen, was quoted as saying the plan was "unacceptable" and would in effect be rewarding the Palestinians for acts of violence.
Sharon during his meeting yesterday told the European Union team to stop transferring funds to the Palestinian Authority which he said was spent on weapons to use against Israel.
The EU has earmarked 90 million euros ($79.64 million) for 2001 to help the Palestinians weather Israel’s economic blockade of the Palestinian territories since a Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation erupted last year after peace talks stalled.
Earlier, Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert branded visiting Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt a "bastard" and urged Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon not to meet him.
"He is a bastard, and Sharon must refuse to meet him," Olmert told Israeli public radio, referring to Verhofstadt.
Meanwhile, an elderly Palestinian man died of his injuries yesterday after being shot in the chest by Israeli heavy machine-gun fire in the central Strip refugee camp of Al Maghazi six weeks ago, his family told AFP. Ibrahim Saeed, 70, died in an Egyptian hospital in Cairo after being transferred from Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital due to his worsening condition.
Saeed was shot when Israeli tanks opened fire on a Palestinian security outpost near the camp.
A Palestinian injured two weeks ago by Israeli soldiers, died yesterday, Palestinian hospital sources said.
Taher Kilani, 17, from the village of Yabad near the northern West Bank city of Jenin, was shot in the chest on Nov. 7 during clashes with the Israeli Army.
Palestinians officials in the northern West Bank city of Tulkarm said an Israeli withdrawal from positions occupied in and around Tulkarm was incomplete and the Israelis were still occupying Palestinian-controlled territory. The Israeli Army withdrew Saturday from Tulkarm, one month after taking up positions in several locations on the town’s outskirts.
Israel said the soldiers were now stationed on the border of Palestinian-controlled territory. But Palestinian officials said Israeli soldiers were still occupying territory around the besieged city.
