Sharon Says Peace Possible with Palestinians, Hard with Arafat

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, December 09, 2001

Sharon Says Peace Possible with Palestinians, Hard with Arafat

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has told Newsweek Israel could negotiate a peace deal with "pragmatic" people in the Palestinian Authority, but would be hard-pressed to do so with Yasser Arafat.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has told Newsweek Israel could negotiate a peace deal with "pragmatic" people in the Palestinian Authority, but would be hard-pressed to do so with Yasser Arafat.

"Although it's hard to believe that one can get into an agreement with Arafat, who is a real terrorist himself, there are people in the Palestinian Authority who are more pragmatic," Sharon told the magazine in an interview due out Monday.

The Israeli leader did not say who these "pragmatic" people were but said Israel was not going "to act against Arafat personally."

The Israeli military has hit targets close to Arafat's headquarters, including his personal helicopters, in retaliation for a series of suicide bombings in Israel a week ago that left 25 Israelis dead and scores injured.

Sharon said the destruction of the helicopters was aimed at restricting the Palestinian leader's freedom of movement.

"We restricted his movements in order to force him to take action," the prime minister said. "He's free now but does not have time to go abroad."

Sharon said he believed in a gradual solution of the Palestinian problem but pointed out that on some issues Israel would not budge.

"There are problems to which there are no answers^"I believe Jerusalem is the capital of the Jewish people and the capital of the state of Israel, united and undivided forever," he continued. "Of course, the Palestinians don't accept that. The other issue is the right of return of the Palestinian refugees."

The Palestinians have insisted that some three million Palestinian refugees driven out of their home since the creation of the state of Israel must be allowed to return to their former places of residence.

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