 JERUSALEM: Israel and the Palestinians are headed towards a new cycle of violence if they do not resume dialogue, the visiting head of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly warned Tuesday. "We will leave here deeply concerned with what we have found," the assembly president, Pierre Lellouche, told reporters after a three day visit to Israel and the Palestinian areas. "All the elements of the next cycle of violence are in place," he said.
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There has been a sharp drop in violence since a Feb. 8 truce declaration by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. However, after initial moves both sides have failed to implement all their obligations. As part of the truce, Israel promised to turn over five West Bank towns to Palestinian security control. But after withdrawing from two towns, Israel has frozen further handovers, saying the Palestinians haven't been tough enough on armed militants. Abbas has preferred to negotiate with militant groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad to end attacks, but has refused to move against them as Israel and the US demand. "Both sides are talking past each other," Lellouche said, noting that in his meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials he discovered a "lack of trust" between the two sides. |