Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told the UN General Assembly that he accepts the concept of a Palestinian state, but that the Palestinians have to prove they want peace following the Gaza pullout. "The Palestinians will always be our neighbors,” Sharon said, speaking in Hebrew. “We respect them and don't aspire to rule over them. They also deserve freedom and a sovereign national entity in their own country." At the same time, Sharon vowed that Jerusalem will remain the undivided and eternal capital of the Jewish people, and that the controversial security barrier in Judea and Samaria will be built. “The fence saves lives,” he said. Palestinian officials responded that the barrier is illegal and must be torn down. And they said there won't be peace until Jerusalem is the capital of a Palestinian state.