desperate effort to take away obstacles on the Roadmap for Peace, after two weeks of violence that killed up to 70 people.
Powell, who was due to hold talks with the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers, singled out the Palestinian militant group Hamas for most of the violence and denounced it for its involvement in terrorism, including recent suicide bombings.
"The enemy of peace has been Hamas, especially over the last two weeks," he said at a news conference with Israel’s embattled Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
"As long as they have a commitment to terror and violence and a desire to destroy the state of Israel, I think this is a problem we have to deal with in its entirety."
ATTACK
As he spoke news emerged that one Israeli settler was killed and three others wounded when gunmen opened fire on their car as they drove near the West Bank town of Ramallah.
Secretary Powell said the shooting only illustrates the urgency of keeping the peace process moving " to capitalize quickly and decisively on this moment that history has given to us."
Yet, the attack was expected to further frustrate Israeli Prime Minister Sharon who has been criticized by Orthodox Jews for dismantling settlements as required under the Roadmap for Peace plan.
Israel took apart 11 so far, including Mitzpe Yitzhar where hundreds of setters fought Israeli troops. Thirty people were injured and more than a dozen arrested, the Voice of America (VOA) said.
EVACUATION
"The evacuation Thursday, June 19, took 12 hours and more than 1000 soldiers and policemen to face down the hundreds of protesters who thronged to the site to resist," confirmed the well informed International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ).
"However, it was considerably less violent than the evacuation of Havat Gilad, another settlement outpost, last October," the ICEJ News Service said.
"Settlement leaders, rabbis and (Israeli Defence Forces) officers each made great efforts to keep their people under control, with local rabbis circulating throughout the day urging protesters to avoid violence and use passive resistance. Military commanders told their troops to leave their weapons behind and to stand down any soldier seen losing his cool," the ICEJ reported.
PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY
Israeli Government officials have criticized the Palestinian Authority for not living up to its obligations, including cracking down against terrorism.
However a Palestinian-Israeli security meeting, attended by U.S. observers and aimed at implementing a cease-fire accord, stalled Thursday on the eve of Powell’s arrival.
The Palestinian Authority reportedly did not manage to convince militant groups to lay down their arms, despite repeated calls by Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to end the armed uprising against Israel.
CIVIL WAR
Abbas has made it clear however that he prefers negotiating with the militants rather than using force against them for fear it could spark a civil war, VOA said.
But he warned Friday, June 20, it does not help that Israel still keeps Palestinian detainees. He urged Sharon to free them and also to "lift the restrictions on the movement of citizens and end…provocative acts, to end the settlement(s) and lift the siege imposed on President Arafat."
