Kadima Calls For Two-State Solution

JERUSALEM – Prime Minister Sharon’s new centrist party yesterday declared Palestinian statehood as a central goal, and Israel signaled it would drop a threat to ban Jerusalem’s Palestinian Arabs from voting in their parliamentary election.The signs of a moderate line for present and future political moves were tempered, however, by an announcement of new Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank.The latest building, disclosed in newspaper ads published yesterday seeking bids from contractors, would violate Israel’s commitments under the American-backed “road map” peace plan. The plans include 228 homes in the settlements of Beitar Illit and Efrat – both near Jerusalem.A Sharon aide, Raanan Gissin, said plans for the latest construction began more than five years ago. He said the construction would be in settlements that Israel plans to retain after a final peace settlement with the Palestinian Arabs.A Palestinian Arab negotiator, Saeb Erekat, condemned the expansion and urged America to intervene. American Embassy spokesmen in Israel were not available for comment.The settlement plans came as Mr. Sharon’s new political party, Kadima, signaled it is ready to hand over more West Bank territory to the Palestinian Arabs and work toward an independent Palestinian state after Israeli elections March 28.Yesterday, doctors disclosed that Mr. Sharon, 77, will have to undergo a procedure to close a tiny hole in his heart. The announcement that the defect led to the mild stroke he suffered December 18 drew further attention in the election campaign to Mr. Sharon’s health.Mr. Sharon left the hard-line Likud Party last month to form Kadima, saying he would have more freedom to negotiate a peace deal. A draft of Kadima’s election platform published yesterday called for conceding more land to the Palestinian Arabs as part of peace talks culminating in a Palestinian state. The talks would be based on the road map.“The basic tenet of the peace process is two national states,” the platform says. A party spokesman, Lior Chorev, said the draft, detailed in the daily newspaper Ma’ariv, was to be approved by next week.Also yesterday, Israeli officials said the government may drop its opposition to allowing Palestinian Arab residents of Jerusalem to vote in next month’s Palestinian elections. Israel threatened last week to bar voting in east Jerusalem since the Islamic group Hamas is participating.Separately, in Ramallah, a Palestinian court cleared the way yesterday for the ruling Fatah Party to submit a single list of candidates for the parliamentary election, though registration officially closed December 14. A poll published yesterday showed Hamas would finish first, ahead of the two Fatah lists.

Kadima Calls For Two-State Solution

Kadima Calls For Two-State Solution

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