Netanyahu seized on Sharon's speech to accuse him of abandoning his conservative party faithful and turning soft on the Palestinians.
However, Palestinian Planning Minister Ghassan Khatib yesterday slammed Sharon's speech as a post-Gaza withdrawal PR stunt given the expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank.
He criticized Sharon's call for Palestinians to now prove their desire for peace as lacking credibility because of Israeli plans to expand settlements and build its separation barrier in the West Bank.
RSS