Palestinians shrug off Sharon victory
Across the West Bank and Gaza Strip, ordinary Palestinians accepted Ariel Sharon's election victory with stoic equanimity.
They said they didn't expect he could make life more miserable for them than did the defeated Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
However, Palestinian leaders expressed concern that the sweeping concessions Barak has offered in recent peace talks will now slip away.
They insisted that negotiations must resume where they left off - with an Israeli offer of a Palestinian state in virtually all of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and parts of Jerusalem.
In recent weeks, Mr Sharon, expecting victory, has tried to allay Arab fears, sending envoys to several Arab and Muslim capitals with conciliatory messages.
Israeli legislator Meir Shetreet of Sharon's Likud Party said Mr Sharon was more willing to compromise than he had let on.
In campaign statements, Mr Sharon had said he would try to negotiate another interim accord with the Palestinians and not give them more land beyond the two-thirds of the Gaza Strip and 42% of the West Bank they now control.
Mr Shetreet suggested Mr Sharon was willing to improve his offer.
"No-one imagined we could make a comprehensive peace with the Palestinians with the same land that they have today. Of course not," Mr Shetreet told The Associated Press. "Everyone knows we have to make concessions."
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said he hoped to resume peace talks with Israel's new government. "We respect the Israeli decision. We are insisting to continue on our side, as Palestinians and as Arabs, the peace process."
