Sharon Seeks an ‘Era of Trust’

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, appearing two days before a White House visit by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, declared Tuesday that his government would “do our utmost to cooperate” with his elected Palestinian counterpart.

Sharon said he wanted to work closely with the Palestinians in the run-up to Israel’s planned evacuation from the Gaza Strip this summer and that he would ask his Cabinet’s approval to release another 400 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails as a goodwill gesture.

Israeli leaders “see a great opportunity” in the election of Abbas, Sharon told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a powerful pro-Israel advocacy group. “We are willing to help Chairman Abbas as much as we can, as long as we do not risk our security,” he said. “That is the red line.”

The Sharon government has sent mixed messages to the Abbas team in recent months, offering greater cooperation but pressing the Palestinians to crack down harder on militants.

The Israelis released 500 Palestinian prisoners this year, following an agreement Feb. 8, when the two sides declared a cease-fire. The prisoner release is intended to strengthen Palestinians’ support for the Abbas government.

This month, Israeli officials said they would suspend the planned release of an additional 400 prisoners until the Palestinians took more action against militants.

But before Abbas’ meeting with President Bush at the White House on Thursday, Sharon sought to emphasize the positive. It will be Abbas’ first trip to the White House as Palestinian leader.

Sharon said Israel was taking steps to improve conditions in Palestinian territories, where the economy is weak and unemployment is high.

“We are ready to do more,” Sharon said.

He added that a “new era of trust” could begin if the Israelis and Palestinians found a way to work together in Israel’s disengagement from Gaza, now planned for mid-August. And he said that a successful disengagement offers “a potential of paving the way for the ‘road map,’ ” the plan for a final Mideast settlement sponsored by the U.S., the European Union, the United Nations and Russia.

The Bush administration has been trying to build support for Abbas’ government, even while it has urged him to crack down on militants.

The Bush administration and Palestinian leaders have recently voiced disapproval with Israel’s plans to build more housing units in West Bank settlements. Palestinian officials have contended that settlement expansion would make it harder for Palestinians to build a free-standing state that is not carved into territories.

In an interview with the satellite television channel Al Jazeera on Tuesday, Abbas said he intended to ask Bush for financial aid to “support the peace process until it reaches its final conclusion ... and not to give promises at the expense of final-status negotiations.”

But the Israelis have been arguing that steps toward the final pact should come gradually, after it is clear that the new Palestinian government will do all it can to halt attacks on Israelis.

Sharon told the U.S. group that Israel’s ties to the United States are “stronger than ever.”

“We see eye to eye on strategic issues such as the global war on terrorism, the need to reach peaceful solutions with the Palestinians according to the road map, the threats to the stability of the Middle East from Syria, Lebanon and Hezbollah, and the dangers of a nuclear Iran,” he said.