Blunt US warning to Palestinians

Israel has begun dismantling outposts

The failure to end violence against Israelis is threatening the creation of a Palestinian state, the White House has said.

President Bush's spokesman said continuing attacks by Palestinian gunmen hurt the implementation of the US-backed peace plan under which Israel has agreed to the principle of a Palestinian nation.

The blunt warning came just hours after the Palestinian prime minister said he wanted to resume talks to persuade militant groups to agree a ceasefire.

For its part, Israel began removing the first of several unauthorised settlements from occupied Palestinian territory.

These enemies not only take the lives of Israelis, they are a threat to the creation of a Palestinian state

Ari Fleischer,
White House spokesman

The move came the day after five Israelis and five Palestinians were killed in attacks in Gaza and the West Bank.

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said President Bush "deplores the killing and the violence".

"There are enemies to peace. These enemies not only take the lives of Israelis, they are a threat to the creation of a Palestinian state," he said.

The tone of the statement to reporters was in marked contrast to comments a day earlier by Secretary of State Colin Powell, who along with other administration officials reacted mildly to the attacks.

Mr Fleischer stressed that Mr Bush was still committed to pursuing peace, despite the latest setbacks.

Militant challenge

Militant group Hamas broke off ceasefire talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas - better known as Abu Mazen - amid anger among its leaders that too many concessions had been give to Israel at a trilateral summit with the US last week.

ROADMAP MAIN POINTS

Phase 1 (to May 2003): End to Palestinian violence; Palestinian political reform; Israeli withdrawal and freeze on settlement expansion; Palestinian elections

Phase 2: (June-Dec 2003) Creation of an independent Palestinian state; international conference and international monitoring of compliance with roadmap

Phase 3 (2004-2005): Second international conference; permanent status agreement and end of conflict; agreement on final borders, Jerusalem, refugees and settlements; Arab states to agree to peace deals with Israel

Roadmap full text

Q&A: What roadmap means

Abu Mazen pledged to resume negotiations with Hamas as well as insisting there was no alternative to continuing talks with Israel.

But representatives from Hamas said they had no intention yet of going back to the talks which they abandoned on Friday in the wake of the summit between Abu Mazen, President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

The BBC's diplomatic correspondent Barnaby Mason says Sunday's attacks were a clear challenge to the Palestinian prime minister.

He says there continues to be doubt about whether Abu Mazen has the strength or backing to end the violence as demanded by Israel and the Americans.

Reuters news agency reported that Hamas leaders meeting in Gaza to discuss the latest appeal by Abu Mazen saw no reason yet to resume talks.

Ismail Abu Shanab, a senior Hamas official, was quoted as saying: "He has not changed his attitude from Aqaba. Therefore the situation is unchanged regarding dialogue with Abu Mazen."

Outpost action

Mr Sharon said Sunday's attacks showed the "incitement and murder" by Palestinians was continuing.

But at a news conference with visiting Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, he said he remained committed to the roadmap which he has accepted with 14 reservations in what he called a difficult decision.

Settlement block on road to peace

The peace plan envisages Israeli withdrawal from all settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, though Mr Sharon said at Aqaba only that outposts considered illegal by Israel would be dismantled.

The first settlers' structures to be removed was at Neve Erez - an uninhabited outpost of mobile homes north of Jerusalem.

There had been fears there would be opposition, but the removal action by soldiers went peacefully, reports said.

Out of more than 100 settlements, about 15 outposts are scheduled for demolition, Israeli sources have told the BBC's James Reynolds in Jerusalem.

All the Jewish settlements on the occupied territories of Gaza and the West Bank are illegal in the eyes of international law.

But many have been built with the approval of the authorities.