Abbas says terrorism must stop
The new Palestinian leader today renounced all terrorism against Israel, a crucial step sought by President George Bush as he brought the two sides together in a bid to advance Middle East peace.
“We repeat our denunciation and renunciation of terrorism against the Israelis wherever they might be,” Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas said, standing at a podium alongside Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in the Jordanian port of Aqaba.
Abbas also promised to “act vigorously” against incitement and hatred against Israel, including using Palestinian security forces.
Abbas, calling such violence inconsistent with Palestinians’ Islamic faith and the establishment of an independent state they have long sought, also pledged to end “the militarization of the intefadeh.”
“The armed intefadeh must end and we must use and resort to peaceful means in our quest to end the occupation and suffering of Palestinians and Israelis,” he said.
Sharon said abandoning incitement, as Abbas pledged to do, is crucial. “There can be no peace” without it, he said.
Sharon says Israel will begin to remove unauthorised settlements in the occupied territories
He said his government understands “the importance of territorial contiguity” in the West Bank, a key demand of Palestinians.
The leaders, accompanied by their host, Jordanian King Abdullah, walked toward the cameras across a bridge especially built for the occasion.
The king called the three-way meeting between Bush, Sharon and Abbas a step toward fulfilling “a dream of peace, prosperity, coexistence and reconciliation” for the entire Mideast region.
President Bush said both leaders understand that the future of their people cannot be built on hatred.
“The Holy Land must be shared between the state of Palestine and the state of Israel, living in peace with one another,” Bush said.
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