TEL AVIV, Jan 12: The Israeli parliament approved on Monday a statement made by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon last month threatening to implement unilateral measures in the Palestinian territories outside the framework of the roadmap.

The vote passed by 51 in favour to 39 against. In a speech to parliament on Monday, Mr Sharon renewed his threat. "We have to prepare ourselves for the possibility that the Palestinians will continue to reject the hand of peace and we will have to take a series of measures to bring the maximum levels of security to the citizens of Israel and reduce to a minimum the friction with the Palestinians," Mr Sharon said.

He said the Palestinians had failed so far to meet their commitments in the internationally-drafted peace plan which has run into a brick wall with high-level contacts frozen for nearly five months.

"The Palestinians have not taken any step to fight terrorism," Mr Sharon said in a stormy session of the Knesset before his declaration was approved by MPs. "The efforts of Palestinians to carry out terror attacks has not ceased for a day."

He said it was essential that Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qorei gained control of the security apparatus in order to take on militant groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Mr Qorei's predecessor Mahmud Abbas resigned in September after losing a power battle with veteran Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for control of the unwieldy security apparatus.

"I hope that he (Qorei) will demand and get control of the security agencies and use them," the Israeli leader said. Mr Sharon added that as the Palestinians were so far failing to meet their roadmap obligations, Israel would have no option but to implement unilateral measures in a few months time that would remain "until Palestinians find among themselves the leadership needed in order to resume talks."

The United States lashed out at both Israel and the Palestinians for failing to make progress on the path to peace. "For friends of Israel, the conclusion is hard to escape: settlement activity must stop because it ultimately undermines Israeli as well as Palestinian interests," deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs David Satterfield said in Washington.x-AFP