Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s decision to sever ties with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in the wake of ongoing terror attacks was a ‘stupid mistake,’ Meretz-Yahad Chairman Yossi Beilin told Ynetnews in a special interview Sunday.
“I believe we should strengthen him,” Beilin said in reference to the PA chairman, adding that Israel is currently not doing enough to boost Abbas.
Beilin speaks out (Video: Micha Duman)
“There is no question about the commitment of Mahmoud Abbas to peace,” Beilin added.
“He was the first Palestinian leader who criticized, harshly, the violent intifada.”
Turning his attention to the possibility of dividing Jerusalem in the framework of a future peace deal with the Palestinians, the Meretz-Yahad chairman said Sharon was unlikely to undertake such move, but did not discount the possibility altogether.
“Those who really know what united Jerusalem really is, know that it’s actually an addition of 28 villages to the original Jerusalem of ’67,” Beilin said.
“All those villages are Palestinian. Why should we keep them in our Jerusalem?” he said, noting that Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem will remain in Israeli hands under any final-status agreement.
Iranian nukes 'nightmare for humanity'
Addressing the recent political turmoil in Israel, Beilin said PM Sharon’s new party, Kadima, is a “kind of a Likud party, without Netanyahu.”
“Most of the people are known to us. Most of them sat under Sharon,” Beilin said, adding that he saw no reason why anyone who did not vote for the Likud in the last election would vote for Sharon now.
“I don’t see any new message,” Beilin said.
Finally, addressing the Iranian nuclear threat and talk of a possible Israeli strike, Beilin said that although nukes in Teheran’s hands would constitute a “nightmare for humanity,” resolving the issue is not up to Israel.
“It would be a mistake if we take it upon ourselves to deal with these issues,” he said.
Yigal Walt contributed to the story
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