Prime minister Ariel Sharon's speech to the UN General Assembly yesterday has infuriated hardline Israeli leaders, drawn praise from most left-wing Israeli politicians, and is being viewed by many as a farewell speech to his ruling Likud party.
In tones reminiscent of assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, who led the Oslo peace process, Mr Sharon told the General Assembly that if Israelis and Palestinians "succeed in working together, we can transform our plot of land, which is dear to both peoples, from a land of contention to a land of peace - for our children and grandchildren".
Until now, Mr Sharon has spoken only of reaching a long-term interim agreement with the Palestinians, not believing in an end-of-conflict deal. But, at the General Assembly, he issued a different message, saying he viewed ending "the bloody conflict" as "my calling and my primary mission for the coming years".
Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, a minister from the centre-left Labour Party, said the prime minister had "affirmed openly" the policy of his party, "which contends that in order to achieve a real peace it is necessary to give up the dream of Greater Israel".
Other Labour leaders heralded Mr Sharon's speech as a basis for continued co-operation in government.
Inside the Likud, opponents of Mr Sharon's Gaza withdrawal sharply criticised him. Former finance minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who resigned in protest over the Gaza plan and has declared his intention to unseat Mr Sharon as Likud leader, said the speech was confirmation that the prime minister "has veered to the left and that he will continue his concessions and withdrawals". Another hardline Likud parliamentarian, Michael Ratzon, said the speech was Mr Sharon's farewell to the Likud: "Sharon didn't just divorce the Likud," he told Israel Radio. "Sharon basically gave in to the left-wing parties in Israel . . . He is the left."
There has been speculation that Mr Sharon, if he is unable to prevail inside his own party, will hive off from the Likud and contest the next election as the head of a centrist party.