Prime Minister Olmert told the Knesset Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee Monday that Israel "must" negotiate with the Palestine Liberation Organization about core issues during the current round of talks.

"We must deal with all the core issues that separate us from the Palestinians," he said. "The issues won't be solved from today to tomorrow, but rather it is a process that will prepare and require us to deal with the central issues."

In recent weeks Olmert has called for the destruction of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria and for the ceding of parts of Jerusalem to the PLO.