Netanyahu’s final peace plan bared

According to the newspaper’s military editor, Zeev Schiff, Netanyahu suggests opening accelerated talks on a final status treaty with an agreement on three principles that would govern relations between Israel and the Palestinian entity:

* Israeli “security zones” will be created beyond Israel’s borders and include clusters of Jewish settlements. The borders between Israel and the Palestinian entity will be permanent in some places and temporary in others

* to be adjusted as relations between the two sides develop.

* Jerusalem will remain united under Israeli sovereignty while the status of Christian and Moslem holy places will be negotiated.

* Palestinian self-rule areas will be demilitarized according to a bilateral treaty.

At the start of negotiations, Israel will agree to three steps:

* Israeli troop will withdraw from parts of the West Bank as required under American-backed interim peace accords. Israeli officials this week said the pullback could cover around 10 per cent of the West Bank. Currently the Palestinian Authority has full or partial control over 27 per cent of the territory.

* Israel will facilitate the long-delayed opening of a Palestinian airport and seaport in the Gaza strip.

* Israel will freeze “special construction” in Jewish settlements for the duration of the negotiations. It will refrain from building new settlements and expropriating Arab land. Both sides will renounce “special construction” in Jerusalem. The definition of “special construction” is not spelled out.

According to Haaretz, Netanyahu’s plan would specify that the Palestinians will be able to live and conduct their lives “in freedom and autonomy” on condition they fight effectively against anti-Israeli militants.

The term “Palestinian state” does not figure in the document.