Jerusalem ? Standing side by side, the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers rededicated themselves Tuesday to peace efforts and spoke of a shared future for their peoples, using conciliatory language not heard here in three years.

Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas declared their readiness to put the past behind them as they met to plan their next moves on the U.S.-backed peace plan.

At the outdoor ceremony in front of Sharon’s office, Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and Palestinian security chief Mohammed Dahlan — bitter enemies not so long ago — chatted amicably.

The summit came during a week of important peace strides: Three main Palestinian militant groups declared a temporary halt in attacks on Israelis and Israeli forces handed over security control in parts of the Gaza Strip to Palestinians.

In the West Bank, Israeli troops prepared to pull out of the Palestinian town of Bethlehem — giving further momentum to efforts to begin the plan to end 33 months of violence and establish a Palestinian state by 2005.

Both prime ministers committed themselves Tuesday to the peace effort launched by President Bush at a June 4 summit.

“Even if we are required to make painful compromises, I will be willing to make them for the sake of true peace — a peace for generations, the peace that we all yearn for,” Sharon said.

Abbas, who stood behind his lectern alongside Sharon, responded by declaring it’s time to “put the past behind us.”

“Enough suffering, enough death, enough pain. Let us stride forward with courage and without hesitation to the future we all deserve,” he said.

The two leaders, joined by senior Cabinet ministers and aides, then withdrew for two hours of talks aimed at resolving disputes over their next moves, including the pace of an Israeli troop withdrawal from West Bank towns and the scope of an expected release of Palestinian prisoners.

Abbas asked for freedom of movement for Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who has been confined to his West Bank headquarters by Israel for more than a year. Sharon said he would consider allowing Arafat to move to Gaza.