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Israel Will Continue Policy of Relative Restraint: Sharon
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Wednesday that the current unilateral ceasefire will continue for the time being, calling on Israelis to be patient in the face of dragging violence.
Speaking at the Knesset (parliament), Sharon fought off mounting criticism from right-wing hardliners who demanded him to abandon his policy of relative restraint in the face of deadly Palestinian attacks, which killed six Israelis on Tuesday.
Sharon said that the limited unilateral ceasefire which he declared last Tuesday was still in effect, and the rightist Israelis who asked "how long it will last" would not win the struggle.
"The campaign is not only military. We must stand up to a complex and complicated diplomatic battle, and to win it," Sharon said.
Earlier Wednesday morning, both Sharon and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres told a security cabinet meeting that the current situation is extremely complicated and that Israel should not play into the hands of Palestinian National Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, who wants to internationalize the conflict.
Peres also said that Israel should accept the recommendations of the international inquiry committee led by former US senator George Mitchell in its entirety.
Meanwhile, Israeli and Palestinian security officials from the Gaza Strip are scheduled to meet Wednesday night following a round of security coordination talks in the West Bank town of Ramallah Tuesday night.
The talks, the first in a month, failed to achieved tangible results as two sides were far apart on their stances.
The Israeli Defense Ministry demanded in a statement that the Palestinians declare a cease-fire, while the Palestinians say Israel has to end travel restrictions against them first.
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