ISRAEL Peres sets conditions for joining Sharon

The former prime minister wants 'a return to the 1967 borders.'
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel's opposition leader said Sunday his Labor Party would not join the government unless Prime Minister Ariel Sharon agreed to negotiate a planned Gaza evacuation with the Palestinians and to accompany it with a large-scale West Bank withdrawal.
In the West Bank, Israeli troops used tear gas and clubs to disperse several hundred Palestinians protesting the construction of a security barrier, witnesses said. The army said the soldiers fired tear gas after the crowd started throwing stones.
The demands by former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, which are unlikely to be met, could threaten Sharon's efforts to shore up his fragile government or could be a bargaining tactic to gain more Cabinet ministries in a coalition agreement.
Left in parliament
Sharon had been widely expected to ask Labor to join his government after he fired two hard-line ministers and a third resigned in recent weeks in a dispute over the Gaza withdrawal plan. That leaves him with only 59 supporters in the 120-member parliament.
Labor, which holds 21 seats, has provided Sharon a "safety net," blocking no-confidence motions to bring down the government, but neither Labor nor Sharon's Likud Party have publicly committed themselves to a national unity government.
On Sunday, Peres said Sharon must accept a wide-ranging withdrawal from the West Bank, which Israel conquered in the 1967 Middle East War.
"My vision ... is for a return to the 1967 borders with minor adjustments for security and Jewish settlements," Peres said. He did not elaborate.
But Sharon has promised to strengthen major West Bank settlements -- not evacuate them -- as part of his plan. That plan calls for a withdrawal from only four isolated enclaves in the West Bank.
Some 230,000 Israeli settlers live amid more than 2 million Palestinians in the West Bank. Palestinians demand a full withdrawal from all Gaza and the West Bank.
Peres also said Sharon must change the nature of his unilateral withdrawal plan by negotiating directly with Palestinian officials.
Looking ahead
Sharon envisions a pullout coordinated with Egypt, which borders Gaza, and the United States but without input from Palestinians. After nearly four years of fighting, he says Palestinians are not serious negotiating partners.
A senior government official said on condition of anonymity that it was too early to respond to Peres' conditions.
"There have been no negotiations, no invitations," the official said. "When an invitation comes I'm sure there will be negotiations on the conditions for cooperation."
As part of Sharon's plan, Israel will complete a separation barrier -- snaking deep into the West Bank in some areas -- which it says is needed to keep out Palestinian militants. Palestinians criticize the barrier as a land grab.
Several hundred Palestinians clashed Sunday with Israeli forces in the West Bank village of Azawiyah. Palestinians, who have been protesting for several days, say Israel plans to confiscate thousands of acres of land in the area for the barrier.
An elderly Palestinian man who approached the troops was thrown to the ground, witnesses said. Troops used tear gas and clubs to disperse the crowd. No serious injuries were reported.
Also, about 500 Palestinian laborers crossed into Israel from Gaza for the first time since Israel barred workers from entering the country after the killing of Hamas leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin three months ago.