The government could finally work towards peace with the Palestinians "without a stopwatch", he said.
"But don't expect us to deliver the Palestinians without exerting pressure on Sharon and the Israelis".
Being the ruling power of two million Palestinians without any rights affects the whole country".
Throughout, he has repeatedly expressed his readiness to negotiate with the Palestinians, without preconditions, to achieve peace.
Whether that would be enough to satisfy the Palestinians without an extension of the settlement freeze is not clear.
Israel, he added, "must complete the task of reaching a peace agreement with the Palestinians without further delay".
There can be no peace between Israelis and Palestinians without the destruction of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other terrorist groups.
Mr. Mitzna said he would open talks with the Palestinians without delay, with whatever leadership was in charge.
The assembly's resolution demands that both Israel and the Palestinians, without specifically naming Hamas, carry out investigations within three months.
IT IS becoming ever harder to write stories about Israel and its dispute with the Palestinians without facing accusations of bias.
Some of these settlers are even known to regularly uproot Palestinian olive trees, harass farmers and schoolchildren, and assault Palestinians without suffering any consequences.
