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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, May 27, 2003

Israeli Cabinet Approves Roadmap after Fierce Debate

After lengthy and fierce debate, the Israeli cabinet finally approved Sunday afternoon the internationally-backed roadmap peace plan by a 12-7 vote with four abstentions.


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Israel approves US-backed peace plan
After lengthy and fierce debate, the Israeli cabinet finally approved Sunday afternoon the internationally-backed roadmap peace plan by a 12-7 vote with four abstentions.

This marked the first time in history that an Israeli government has formally recognized the right to Palestinian statehood.

The roadmap, drafted by the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia, is aimed at ending the 32-month violence between the Palestinians and Israel and envisions the establishment of a Palestinian state by 2005.

Approval With Reluctance
The Israeli approval of the roadmap came only after the cabinet decided to append certain conditions to Israel's declaration of support for the plan, primarily its reservation over the right of return of Palestinian refugees to their homeland.

The breakthrough also followed the recent US pledge to "fully and seriously" address the Israeli concerns with certain contents of the roadmap.

The cabinet members voting against the roadmap included Uzi Landau, Natan Sharansky and Yisrael Katz from Israeli Prime Minister Arial Sharon's Likud Party, as well as four ministers from the National Union and the National Religious Party (NRP).

The four members holding abstentions were Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Education Minister Limor Livnat, Health Minister Dan Naveh and Public Security Minister Tsahi Hanegbi.

Prime Minister Sharon agreed on Friday to present the roadmap to the cabinet for approval soon after the United States pledged to take into account Israel's security concerns.

But the United States also pledged to the Palestinians it will insert no changes into the roadmap at this stage.

Pending the Israeli cabinet's approval, several lawmakers of Sharon's right-wing Likud Party urged him to put off the vote for several days to allow a full debate of the issue, while the central-left Labor and Meretz lawmakers promised to provide a "safety net" for the prime minister in the Knesset plenum.

Ahead of the cabinet session, Sharon huddled with his Likud ministers on Sunday morning to garner their support for the plan. Meretz lawmaker Avshalom Vilan said Saturday that Sharon could count on more than 30 opposition lawmakers to support the roadmap.

After the roadmap was published on April 30, Israel presented a list of 14 reservations, which Sharon described during Sunday's cabinet session as a "red line".

Mixed Reactions
Share prices on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange leapt 7 percent after the cabinet voted to approve the peace plan.

"It was a historic day," said Israeli Immigrant Absorption Minister Tsipi Livni, adding it may be "a sign of hope."

NRP Minister Zevulun Orlev, along with NRP Chairman and Cabinet Minister Effi Eitam, said after the vote that despite his party's opposition, it would not leave the government over the plan. Israeli Justice Minister Yosef Lapid said Israel has no choice but to accept the roadmap.

"I think the plan is bad at its core, but with the Israeli reservations it has improved a bit," Lapid told Israel Radio.

"Imagine what would have happened if Jerusalem had released a statement saying they have turned down an initiative backed by America, Russia and the United Nations. It would have caused an economic disaster," the minister said.

Lapid also said "Sunday has the potential to go down in history as a historic and good day, but it could also turn out to be bad."Israeli Welfare Minister Zevulun Orlev, from the National Religious Party, said after the cabinet's approval of the roadmap that he voted against the plan because it is a "gamble on the future of our country."

The main reason for him and six other ministers to oppose the plan is that the United States did not explicitly accept Israel's conditions for adopting the roadmap, Orlev said.

Dalia Itzik, head of the Labor Party's Knesset (parliament) group, applauded the government for approving the roadmap peace plan, saying the vote is "a victory for Labor's path" of seeking peace with the Palestinians.

"The government has finally understood what the Labor Party has been saying for years," Itzik said.

The Palestinian National Authority, which has already accepted the roadmap, welcomed the Israeli cabinet's decision, but demanded Israel accept the plan without alterations.

"We look positively on this decision. This is what the Palestinian (National) Authority (PNA) has been asking for since we received the roadmap," Palestinian Information Minister Nabil Amr said.

"The Israelis must implement their obligations without preconditions and without any changes," he noted. Palestinian Minister of Negotiations Affairs Yasser Abed Rabbo also called on Israel to respect the roadmap peace plan and implement it fully.

"After the plan was accepted by both sides, what is needed now is to rebuild the lost trust between the two sides and open a new page in the relationship between the two sides," said Rabbo.

After the Israeli cabinet approved on the US-backed roadmap peace plan, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas are reportedly expected to meet as early as on Monday to study the implementation of the plan, and discuss the timetable and the mechanism of the implementation.

The roadmap calls for an end to the protracted Palestinian-Israeli bloodshed, the halt of Jewish settlement activities in the Palestinian territories and the establishment of a Palestinian state by 2005.


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