Global Policy Forum

By Mark Lavie

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Monday proposed a three-stage peace plan with the Palestinians, and said he would have presented it at an Arab summit in Beirut this week if he were allowed to attend. Sharon said his plan would have three phases: a cease-fire, a "long-range interim period" with a partial peace arrangement, followed by negotiations for a permanent peace treaty, "an end to the conflict and peace."

This came as the Arab League began discussing a Saudi proposal in which Israel would withdraw from all the territories it captured in 1967, including the West Bank, Gaza Strip (news - web sites) and east Jerusalem, in exchange for an end to the Israel-Arab conflict. Sharon has rejected a return to the old lines, saying that would endanger Israeli security.

Speaking at Likud Party headquarters in Tel Aviv at a gathering in advance of the Jewish Passover holiday, which begins Wednesday, he singled out Jewish settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip for a special holiday greeting, saying that they "have been on the front line of the conflict for a year and a half." Palestinians insist that all the settlements be dismantled, and settlers have been frequent targets of Palestinian attacks.

On Sunday, Sharon said he should attend the Beirut summit to present Israel's ideas, but Arab leaders responded with ridicule. Israel has yet to decide whether to allow Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to travel to Beirut, insisting that first, a cease-fire must be in place.

During his speech, Sharon faced heckling from his own supporters over his partnership with the dovish Labor Party in a national unity government, showing impatience over the 18-month conflict with the Palestinians.

Sharon said, "Today Israel needs a strong, united government without internal political struggles." Some Likud members shouted, "Without Peres," referring to Foreign Minister Shimon Peres of Labor.

The catcalls reflected the conflicting political pressures Sharon is facing after a year in office, with Palestinian-Israeli violence continuing unabated. While Sharon maintains his "national unity" coalition, combining his own hawkish party and its partners with Labor, some ministers are clamoring for harsh action against the Palestinians.

Justice Minister Meir Sheetrit, known as a moderate in the Likud, joined the hard-liners Monday in calling for an offensive. "If the terror persists, Israel must take every necessary measure, including incursions into every possible place, the rounding up of weapons and the uprooting of all terrorism," Sheetrit told Israel TV.

However, Peres and his backers favor peace negotiations with the Palestinians and an easing of restrictions. "We are in a hard struggle" with the Palestinians, Sharon said repeatedly, calling on his people for patience and pledging that in the end, Israel would emerge victorious.

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