He pledged to open talks with the Palestinians "without delay" and without preconditions, including any demands about changes in the Palestinian leadership.

Mayor of Haifa Seeks to Run Against Sharon
A threat by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to call early elections and the sudden rise of a new political star have combined to fire up that most ardent of Israeli pursuits, domestic electoral politics.

The new star, Amram Mitzna, a retired major general and the two-term mayor of Haifa, formally announced today that he was running for leader of the Labor Party.

On the left, Mr. Mitzna's plunge into the national arena raised the prospect of a broad contest for the leadership of Labor with Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, the relatively hawkish defense minister; Haim Ramon, a perennial challenger who has already declared his candidacy; and Avraham Burg, the speaker of Parliament.

Previously little noted outside Haifa, Mr. Mitzna, 57, is a familiar type in Israel: the kibbutz-bred general who turns to politics. Yitzhak Rabin, Ehud Barak and Mr. Sharon all came from that mold, and three former army chiefs of staff now sit in Parliament.

Among the achievements most noted in the press was an early confrontation Mr. Mitzna had with Mr. Sharon. In September 1982, Mr. Mitzna, then a brigadier general, wrote a letter to the chief of staff in which he said he had no faith in the defense minister — then Mr. Sharon.

Mr. Mitzna went on to serve as military commander of the West Bank during the first Palestinian uprising, and on retirement from the army he went on to be elected mayor of Haifa, a city with a sizable Arab population.

In his speech today, delivered in Tel Aviv, Mr. Mitzna revived dovish themes not heard in a long time, including a declaration that a peace settlement would require the evacuation of Jewish settlements from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. He accused Mr. Sharon of leading Israel to disaster with a policy of "force, more force and yet more force."

Mr. Mitzna also rejected a central demand made by Mr. Sharon and the Bush administration: that the Palestinians change their leadership before any serious talks begin. "I want to make it clear that Israel does not choose the other side's leaders," he said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/14/international/middleeast/14ISRA.html