HERZLIYA, Dec 18: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon vowed on Thursday Israel would start its own “separation” moves that would cost Palestinians land within months if the US-backed roadmap failed.

In a major policy speech, Mr Sharon said Israel could start a “Disengagement Plan” even while efforts continued on the roadmap for a Palestinian state that is favoured by Washington.

Israel’s justice minister said the unilateral moves could start within three months if the Palestinians did not act.

The United States said it would oppose any unilateral Israeli steps and urged Mr Sharon to meet his Palestinian counterpart “very soon” for peace talks.

US officials are wary of Sharon creating “political facts on the ground” given a barrier Israel is building in the West Bank. Although Israel calls it a bulwark against suicide bombers, the barrier deviates from the boundary before the 1967 war to absorb settlements on occupied land.

Mr Sharon said work would be greatly speeded up on the barrier, which Palestinians call an attempt to grab land.

The Palestinian chief negotiator said Mr Sharon’s proposal was no formula for peace.

Ariel Sharon warned Palestinians would end up with less land if Israel acted alone than if they followed the roadmap. He said Palestinians had to “uproot terrorist groups” and bring an end to more than three years of “violence” in the Middle East.

“If within a number of months the Palestinians will continue not carrying out their part of the roadmap, then Israel will initiate a unilateral security measure,” Mr Sharon told a national security conference in the coastal town of Herzliya.

Mr Sharon moved to quell US fears of go-it-alone steps by saying anything the Jewish state did would be in close coordination with Washington.

He also pledged to keep Israel’s commitments to the roadmap by removing settler outposts, freezing current settlements and easing restrictions on Palestinian areas. He said Israel had no plan to redraw borders forever under the disengagement plan.—Reuters