Israel makes peace offer
Elsa McLaren and agencies
November 28, 2006
ISRAEL'S Prime Minister today moved forward the prospect of lasting peace in Gaza by offering wide-ranging peace concessions to the Palestinians if they turned away from violence.
In a major policy speech, Ehud Olmert said he was reaching out to the Palestinians for peace after five months of bloodshed that has followed the capture of the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit by Hamas on June 25.
He announced that he was prepared to reduce checkpoints, release frozen funds and free prisoners in exchange for the release of Corporal Shalit and a serious push for peace.
"I hold out my hand in peace to our Palestinian neighbours in the hope that it won't be returned empty," Mr Olmert said.
"We cannot change the past and we will not be able to bring back the victims on both sides of the borders. All that we can do today is stop additional tragedies."
His speech comes one day after Israeli troops pulled out of the Gaza Strip following a ceasefire announced by Palestinian militants yesterday.
However, doubts over lasting peace in the region deepened after Israeli troops shot and killed two Palestinians, one a militant linked to Hamas, in a West Bank raid last night.
One of the dead was said to be a wanted militant affiliated with the Hamas-linked Popular Resistance Committees and the other was a woman who took the dead man's weapon and tried to run off, according to the army.
Mr Olmert said that the resumption of peace talks were on condition of the soldiers release and the acceptance by any future Palestinian unity government of international demands to renounce violence, the recognition of Israel and acceptance of existing interim peace accords.
"With Gilad Shalit's release and his return safe and sound to his family, the Israeli government will be willing to release many Palestinian prisoners, even those who have been sentenced to lengthy terms," Mr Olmert said.
However, Stephen Farrell, The Times's Israel Correspondent, said that many Palestinians were sceptical of Mr Olmert's comments and believed they were for the benefit of US President George W. Bush, who will meet Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki tomorrow.
"There is scepticism in Gaza amongst Palestinians that his words are intended only for Mr Bush's ears ahead of his visit," Farrell said.
The ceasefire is seen as a step to reviving peace talks that collapsed in 2000 before the start of a Palestinian uprising.
The deal appeared to be holding in Gaza early this morning, with no reports of Palestinian rocket fire into Israel. But, the shooting of two Palestinians during a raid by Israeli forces in the West Bank town of Qabatiya last night increases the chances of violence returning to the region.
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