LONDON - The new ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians could herald a bright future, but might also "blow up in our faces" if Palestinian leaders do not dismantle the terrorist infrastructure, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom warned Wednesday.
The ceasefire, agreed during talks between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and newly-elected Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas in the Egyptian resort of Sharm al-Sheikh earlier this month, marked "a new era", Shalom said.
"This is a new opportunity we are determined to seize," he told reporters at a briefing in London during a swift two-day visit, hailing the summit as "a huge achievement".
Israel was working to improve the lives of the Palestinian people through measures such as prisoner releases and easier access into Israel, but in return needed Abbas to dismantle the "terrorist infrastructure".
"A ceasefire is not enough. Ceasefire is only an optical illusion, that will blow up in our faces in a short time," Shalom warned starkly.
Abbas had done some good by sacking the overall commander of Palestinian forces last week following mortar attacks on Israeli settlements, Shalom said.
"He has done it with rockets, he is not doing it with the dismantling of the infrastructure," the minister said.
"In order to bring the infrastructure of peace we should dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism."
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