Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, speaking at a special Knesset session today, said that he has instructed the IDF to finish their \"Defensive Shield\" mission before pulling out of PLO controlled areas. His remarks come despite pressure from the United States insisting that Israel immediately begin carrying out a withdrawal. Sharon also said that after the mission is complete, IDF troops would remain in special buffer zones between Israeli and PLO controlled areas.
During the speech, which was interrupted numerous times by jeering and yelling by Arab Members of Knesset, Sharon described Yasser Arafat\'s PLO as a terrorist regime and urged the Palestinian people to seek new leadership. Sharon also praised the Saudi kingdom for recently introducing a new peace initiative, even though the document contains certain terms that Sharon would not be willing to accept, namely a complete Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders.
During the speech, which was interrupted numerous times by jeering and yelling by Arab Members of Knesset, Sharon described Yasser Arafat\'s PLO as a terrorist regime and urged the Palestinian people to seek new leadership. Sharon also praised the Saudi kingdom for recently introducing a new peace initiative, even though the document contains certain terms that Sharon would not be willing to accept, namely a complete Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders.