WASHINGTON, May 23 (UPI) -- President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sent a sharp message to Palestinians Tuesday -- renounce terrorism or be left at the station.
The Islamist group Hamas, which won the Palestinian legislative elections, must also recognize Israel's right to exist and pledge to adhere to earlier peace-making accords, they said, or Israel would proceed unilaterally to set conditions for a two-state Middle East peace settlement.
"We will not enter into any kind of partnership with a party [Hamas] which refuses to recognize our right to live in peace and security," Olmert said after a meeting with at the White House. "Despite our sincere desire for negotiations, we cannot wait indefinitely for the Palestinians to chance. We cannot be held hostage by a terrorist entity which refuses to change or promote dialogue.
"If we come to the conclusion that no progress is possible, we will be compelled to try a different route."
Olmert told the president he envisaged a unilateral Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank, must like the more taken last year in the Gaza Strip. However, key settlements would not only be kept in Israeli hands, they would be incorporated into the borders of the Jewish state.
"We will remove most of the settlements which are not part of the major Israeli population centers in Judea and Samaria," Olmert said as Bush looked on.
Bush said, "While any final status agreement will be only achieved on the basis of mutually agreed changes and no party should prejudice the outcome of negotiations on a final status agreement, the prime minister's ideas could be an important step toward the peace we both support."
