Sharon Sets Out Policy Guidelines on Palestinian IssuesAddressing the inaugural session of his cabinet on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon set out five principles for policy moves on Palestinian issues.Sharon put his priority on the security for the Israelis, saying that his government will strive to provide a sense of security to all Israelis, according to Israel Radio. Other principles include halting Palestinian violence and preventing the Palestinians from making gains through violence; reducing the danger of internationalization of the conflict with the Palestinians; reducing the possibility of situation deterioration in the region; and safeguarding all possibilities for resuming peace talks with the Palestinians, but only after cessation of the violence. The cabinet meeting also approved nominations of the 13-member security cabinet, which include Sharon, Justice Minister Meir Sheetrit, Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, Finance Minister Silvan Shalom and Public Security minister Uzi Landau. The Israeli new cabinet was sworn into office on March 7 after being approved by the Knesset (parliament). It has 26 ministers and 14 deputy ministers, making it the largest cabinet in Israel's modern history. |
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