Olmert: Palestinians Must Accept Israel

Israeli Prime minister Ehud Olmert, left, gestures next to Britain's Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett during their meeting in his Jerusalem Office, Wednesday Feb. 7, 2007. Beckett is in Israel and the Palestinian Authority on a two-day official visit. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner) (Sebastian Scheiner - AP)

JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday that the new Palestinian Cabinet must abide by international demands to recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept past peace agreements with the Jewish state.

However, Israel had not yet made a decision on how to respond to the national unity government signed Thursday between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, of Fatah, and the Islamic militant Hamas group. Under the agreement, the new coalition government agreed to "respect" past agreements. It made no reference to recognizing Israel or renouncing violence.

The deal appeared to fall short of the demands made by the Quartet of Mideast negotiators _ the United States, Russia, European Union and the United Nations _ but Western leaders said they had to study the deal before responding.

"We, like the international community, are studying what exactly was achieved, what was said, and what is the basis on which the agreement rests, if it exists, and if it's complete," Olmert said before his weekly Cabinet meeting.

Olmert said his government had "urgent consultations" over the weekend about the deal, but had not decided whether to reject or accept the agreements, though he reiterated the international demands on the Palestinian government.

"We support the Quartet decisions, and we expect any Palestinian government to stick to those principles, meaning recognizing the right of Israel to exist, stopping terror activities, and accepting all agreements in a way that is clear, sharp, and explicit," he said.