Peace a possibility between Israel and Palestine

JERUSALEM -- Foreign Minister Shimon Peres outlined a peace plan Tuesday negotiated with a senior Palestinian lawmaker that calls for a cease-fire followed quickly by the establishment of a Palestinian state. \nLong on optimism but short on supporters, the plan was reached between Peres and Palestinian parliament speaker Ahmed Qureia, known as Abu Ala, over several months of unannounced meetings in which they strove to move beyond the daily violence and heated rhetoric. \nMeanwhile, Palestinians fired two Qassam-2 rockets at a Jewish settlement in the West Bank Tuesday but missed, said a senior Israeli security source, speaking on condition of anonymity. It would be the first such firing in the West Bank. \nA homemade rocket, the Qassam-2 has a range of three to five miles, enough to hit Israeli towns from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In the past, the Islamic militant group Hamas has fired several shorter-range Qassam-1 rockets that caused no damage. \nIsrael's Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer warned Tuesday that he might send troops to retake some Palestinian areas for extended periods if Palestinian militants fire more Qassam-2 rockets. \nTwo Qassam-2 rockets fired by Hamas from Gaza landed Sunday in open fields in southern Israel, causing no injuries. Israel responded with airstrikes in Gaza City Sunday and Monday. \n"The Qassam is something that crosses all our red lines" because of its range, Ben-Eliezer told reporters during a tour of northern Israel. \n Tension is rising between Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and West Bank security chief Jibril Rajoub, said a Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity. He said the two had a heated disagreement when Arafat accused Rajoub of failing to prevent the release of militants from Palestinian prisons. \nMarwan Barghouti, West Bank leader of Arafat's Fatah movement, told Israel TV that all the militants should be released because "they are resisting the (Israeli) occupation." Barghouti said that the conflict with Israel must be ended. \n"There has to be a political plan that gives real hope to the Palestinian people," he said. \nIn their peace efforts, Peres and Qureia appeared to have reached broad agreement on several important points, but it remained far from clear how much support their plan would generate among Israeli and Palestinian leaders. \nPeres suggested the plan was also backed by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. \n"There is a proposal, which is acceptable to Abu Ala and his senders," Peres said on Israel radio, adding that he has shown the plan to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and expects his comments. \nPeres may face a tough battle persuading Sharon, who has shot down several of his initiatives. Other members of Sharon's coalition government -- including members of Peres' own Labor Party -- also are skeptical.