Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz, facing internal challenges to his position as leader of the dovish Labor Party, on Monday presented his own peace plan, calling for talks in six months with the Palestinians on a peace treaty and an agreement two years later.
In a statement, Peretz called his plan "the new road map," altering the existing internationally backed "road map plan" that has been on the table since 2003 but has never been implemented.
Peretz would negotiate only with Palestinian moderates, like Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, saying his plan would strengthen them by offering "a diplomatic option."
Like the original, the Peretz road map has three stages, and like a plan presented last week by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, it bypasses difficult aspects of the first stage and heads quickly into second-stage peace talks. The third stage, according to all the plans, is negotiations for a final peace agreement.
Jockeying for position
Both Peretz and Livni are jockeying for position in their own parties. Peretz, whose popularity has plummeted as a result of Israel's inconclusive summer war against Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, is facing powerful challenges in party primary elections, set for May.
On Sunday, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, an ex-army commander, announced he was re-entering politics and going after Peretz's job.
Another former general, Ami Ayalon, who has a significant following, is also in the race against Peretz.
Livni is distancing herself from her Kadima Party leader, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who has also lost considerable support because of the Lebanon war.
Presentation of the peace plans is seen as part of their campaigns for the top posts in their parties.
Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator, said the Peretz proposal is an "Israeli internal matter."
"This is internal Labor business. We want all the Israeli government, in all its composition, to come back to the negotiating table and proceed with final status negotiations," he said.
Meanwhile Five members of Hamas' military wing who were kidnapped at gunpoint by rival Fatah Party loyalists in the Gaza Strip were released several hours later, a Palestinian mediator said early yesterday, but tensions in Gaza remained high.
Hostages
All of the hostages were released hours after being seized from their car in northern Gaza, according to Mohammed Madhoun of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a small organization that helped mediate the men's release.
Hamas confirmed that they had been freed.
There was no comment from Fatah.
A Hamas lawmaker from Beit Lahiya, Mushir al-Masri, cautioned after the kidnapping that the renewal of violence would only increase tensions between the two groups, which have been engaged in deadly confrontations in recent weeks.
"Tension and escalation will only serve the interests of the occupation and the coup-seekers," he said.
The "coup-seekers" was a reference to Fatah, which seeks to replace the current Hamas-led Cabinet with a more moderate Fatah-Hamas coalition that would induce the West and Israel to lift crippling economic sanctions on the Palestinian Authority.
Vicious
Fatah and Hamas have been in a vicious power struggle since the Islamic group defeated Fatah in parliamentary elections last year.
Hamas controls the legislature and most government functions, while Fatah holds the powerful presidency.
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