Israeli foreign minister dismisses creation of a Palestinian state for the time being

Monday March 10, 2008 06:10

by Rami Almeghari - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, dismissed Sunday possibility for creation of a Palestinian state for the time being, citing what she called ' continued attacks on Israelis and the situation in Gaza'.

Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Livni

Livni told U.S envoy James Jones that Israel should respond to what she termed ' Palestinian terror' and that the creation of a Palestinian state does not go in line with Israel's security needs.

She maintained that any future Palestinian state should comprise Palestinian leaders , who are willing to live in peace, from one hand, and fight 'terror' from the other hand.

Livni will head for Washington today for a three-day talks over Gaza situation and other relevant issues, online Israeli daily 'Haaretz', reported.

U.S. envoy, Lt. Gen. William Fraser III, who President Gorge W. Bush appointed to monitor implementation of the U.S-backed road map peace plan, will expectedly arrive in the region by Thursday.

According to the plan, Israel is demanded to halt all settlement activities on occupied Palestinian lands, in return for Palestinians refraining from armed resistance against the Israeli occupation, which Israel calls ' terror'.

Meanwhile, Israeli media sources reported that senior army officer, Amos Gil'ad, moved to Cairo for talks over restoring calm to Gaza, following deadly Israeli attacks last week that left more than 120 Palestinians killed, many of them were civilians.

Egypt has been relentlessly engaged in talks with the Islamist ruling Hamas in Gaza, for possible compromise on Gaza situation, in order to put an end to the Israeli closure of the coastal enclave, coincidently with homemade shells fire from Gaza into nearby Israeli towns, coming to a halt.

Egypt's intelligence chief, Omar Sulieman, put off a visit to Israel last week, in the wake of Israeli army actions on the coastal territory.

U.S Secretary of State Condoleeeza Rice, echoed last week the same remarks by Livni, saying that Hamas regime in Gaza represents chaos that does not help establish a Palestinian state.

Rice's visit to the region last week was a part of U.S's efforts to contain the volatile situation and inject a momentum to Washington-sponsored Palestinian-Israeli peace process, on a way that leads to establishment of a Palestinian state by the end of 2008.

Hamas won Palestinian parliamentary elections in January2006, thus ending a Fatah-ruled Palestinian regime. Hamas embraces armed resistance against the Israeli occupation, while Fatah adopts peace as a strategic choice.