JERUSALEM — Furious over the killing of two Israelis hiking in the West Bank, Israel’s prime minister said Sunday that no peace will come until Palestinians crack down on militants, a view that clouds President Bush’s upcoming visit.
To clear the way for Bush to push for progress, the sides have agreed to paper over a spat over Israel’s plan to build 307 apartments in east Jerusalem, the section claimed by the Palestinians.
But that was before the shooting of two off-duty Israeli soldiers Friday by Palestinian attackers in a valley near the West Bank city of Hebron. There were two claims of responsibility: one from Hamas and Islamic Jihad; the other from Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, which has ties to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, speaking before the weekly meeting of his Cabinet, denounced the deaths.
“As long as the Palestinian Authority doesn’t take the necessary steps and act with the necessary vigor against terror organizations, Israel won’t be able to carry out any change that would expose it to any jeopardy or endanger Israel’s security,” he said.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat saw the talks as an answer to violence. “To address this issue between Palestinians and Israelis, we need the resumption of a meaningful peace process,” Erekat said.
Olmert and Abbas had pledged to restart peace talks at Bush’s Mideast conference last month in Annapolis, Md., aiming for a peace agreement by the end of next year.
But periodic crises already are hampering the efforts.
Abbas aide Yasser Abed Rabbo said Sunday the Palestinians will gloss over the dispute about Jerusalem construction to keep the Israelis from blaming them for a stalemate.
Abed Rabbo said a Palestinian delegation would head to Washington this week for talks to prepare for Bush’s visit, set to begin Jan. 8. Bush is hoping for significant progress toward peace as a mark of success for his foreign policy.
