Israel Admits Continuing Contact with Palestinians.

By Larry James (VOA-Jerusalem)

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said his government is still in contact with moderate Palestinians after more than two years of conflict. The news that the Sharon government is continuing contacts came as a bit of a surprise since the prime minister had ruled

During an interview with Israeli television Tuesday night, Sharon did not name the Palestinians he is talking with. But he said the contacts would continue. He said the number of people who are prepared to talk peace is growing and that he is ready to talk to anyone of those people.

Sharon also said he is not prepared to talk about any so-called road maps to peace until after Israel's Jan. 28 election. The United States presented the outlines of such a proposal to the Israelis and Palestinians in August.

Sharon is running for re-election against Labor Party candidate Amram Mitzna, who has been promising an immediate Israeli troop withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and talks on a pullback from the West Bank. Mitzna spoke about that policy in a speech at an Israeli high school on Tuesday. In those remarks he struck what is being interpreted here as a tougher tone. He said he is proposing to "separate from the Palestinians." Then, in words directed at the Palestinians themselves, he said "if you want, we will do it with agreement. If you continue with terror, we will beat you to a pulp."

Meanwhile, Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat has given a warm welcome to British plans for a Middle East peace summit in London early next month. Prime Minster Tony Blair invited a senior Palestinian delegation to the talks, but it is unclear if Arafat would go. Blair also invited Egyptian, Saudi, and Jordanian officials and representatives of the so-called Mideast quartet.