Peres envisages Palestinian state

Shimon Peres is a strong advocate of peace talks

Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres has voiced his support for the formation of a Palestinian state, as outlined by US President George Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair in the past few days.

Mr Peres - speaking on a visit to the Czech Republic - said Israelis wanted a successful, flourishing, independent Palestinian state.

What we want is to establish a new rapport with our neighbours

Shimon Peres

"It would make for a better neighbour," he said.

In principle, support for a Palestinian state is a policy of the Israeli Labor Party, which Mr Peres still leads.

Mr Peres also said Israel would stop the targeted killing of Arab militants if Yasser Arafat's authorities rounded up more than 100 Palestinians on Israel's wanted list.

"We don't like this policy ourselves. We have been left without a choice," he said.

Stronger position

"We have asked the Palestinians to arrest the trouble makers, and if they do it, there will be no need to continue with this policy."

Mr Peres, who has been a keen advocate of peace talks, is believed to be in a stronger political position following the resignation on Monday of an ultra-nationalist bloc from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's coalition government.

He said: "Nothing can substitute in the modern age for good relations. Neither guns nor tanks nor fences nor walls. What we want is to establish a new rapport with our neighbours."

Jewish settlers in Hebron fear more attacks after Israeli troops withdrew

Mr Blair said he wanted to see a viable, Palestinian state when he met Mr Arafat in London on Monday.

He said he wanted to "reinvigorate" the peace process.

Mr Peres stopped short of commenting on Mr Blair's support for a Palestinian state, but added: "It is a problem for him (Arafat), not just for us, if he cannot control his people.

"We are telling them that a country means that you have free speech and controlled rifles. But if you have controlled speech and free rifles, you cannot run a country."

US criticism rejected

Earlier, Zalman Shoval - an adviser to Mr Sharon - rejected America's criticism of Israel's policy of targeting Palestinian militants.

Israel admitted killing a leading member of Hamas on Sunday

Mr Shoval said Israel was fighting what he called Palestinian terrorism in the same way that the US was waging war on Osama Bin Laden.

Two members of the hardline Palestinian group Hamas were killed on the West Bank on Sunday and Monday.

One was shot by an elite Israeli army unit and the other was blown up outside the offices of Mr Arafat's Fatah movement in Nablus.

Israel admitted the first killing but has refused to comment on the second.