A top Palestinian official rejected a suggestion made by Defense Minister Ehud Barak, according to which Israel should consider unilaterally withdrawing from the West Bank in case peace talks failed, saying on Wednesday that such a move would only serve to perpetuate the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Speaking at Tel Aviv University´s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) earlier in the day, Barak said: "We are a coalition of 94 MKs, this is the time to lead a diplomatic process," adding, however, that if such an attempt failed, "we must consider an interim arrangement or even a unilateral move."

"We are on borrowed time. We will reach a wall, and we´ll pay the price. People who are now in a coma will then ask how we didn´t see [this coming]," he added.

In response to Barak´s remarks, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas´ chief aide Nabil Abu Rudineh said later Wednesday that an "Israeli unilateral moves will lead to the formation of a Palestinian state in temporary borders, to which we object."

"This policy will lead to the conflict´s continuation and not to a solution, burying the two-state solution," Abu Rudineh said, adding that the Palestinian Authority was committed to "a final agreement in which a Palestinian state will be formed with Jerusalem as its capital."

"Without Jerusalem, we won´t agree to anything," he added.

Also responding to Barak´s comments, Education Minister Gideon Sa´ar severely criticized the defense minister, saying that his "position did not represent the government´s position, one that is in a clear minority both in the government and in the coalition."

"It´s strange how some people are willing to toy with such a dangerous notion after the utter failure of [Israel´s] unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip," Sa´ar added.

In another response to Barak´s comment, the head of the Yesha Settlement Council Danny Dayan said that "anyone speaking about a unilateral withdrawal from the West Bank seven years after the catastrophe of the disengagement is a lost cause."

"Barak has learned nothing from his own mistake in Lebanon and from [former Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon´s in Gaza. The 94-MK coalition needs to be used to bolster Israel, not to weaken it." (© Copyright 2012 Ha´aretz 05/31/12)