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Politics : Israel to U.S. : Now Deal with Syria and Iran -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Thomas M. who wrote (4613)	4/14/2004 1:12:13 PM
From: Ed Huang	Respond to of 22250

Sharon to ask Bush to reject any right of return By Aluf Benn There were still some last-minute gaps between what Prime Minister Ariel Sharon wants and what U.S. President George W. Bush's administration is ready to grant him less than 24 hours before the leaders hold a two-hour session that will include a meeting in the White House living quarters, a lunch, and a joint press conference timed for Israel's prime time. According to sources in the prime minister's entourage, the gaps in the language of the two letters the leaders are to exchange are about the American position on the borders and the refugees in any future final status agreement reached between Israel and the Palestinians. Israel wants an unequivocal, sharp American statement rejecting any Palestinian "right of return" to Israel, and it wants American recognition that the large settlement blocs in the West Bank - Ma'aleh Adumim, Ariel, Gush Etzion and the Jerusalem envelope - will be part of Israel. The Americans are only ready to offer vague language, so they don't harm relations with allies in the Arab world and Europe. Israeli sources in Sharon's entourage said the language agreed upon so far is "reasonable" and justified the Sharon trip. They said the gaps that remain are not significant. The most recent round of negotiations took place on Monday, when Sharon bureau chief Dov Weisglass, National Security Adviser Giora Eiland, Ambassador Danny Ayalon and Sharon's political adviser Shalom Turgeman spent the day with Stephen Hadley, deputy to National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. The prime minister was to meet last night with Rice for what was being described as a critical session ahead of his meeting with Bush. That meeting begins at 11 A.M. (6 P.M. in Israel) in the White House living quarters, continues at a luncheon and climaxes with a press conference at 1 P.M. (8 P.M. in Israel) that will be broadcast live in Israel on Channels 1 and 10. Sources in Sharon's entourage were disappointed to learn Channel 2 will be broadcasting a football game and will not be preempting the game for the press conference. Bush is expected to make a general statement of support for the Sharon disengagement plan and to speak of its historic significance. But the letters the two leaders will exchange are much more programmatic. Sharon will describe the plan to quit Gaza (except for the Philadelphi corridor between Rafah and Egypt) and the four settlements in the northern West Bank. He will also promise that the separation fence is for security purposes only and is not meant to establish political facts on the ground. And he will state the disengagement plan is part of the "road map." Bush will promise to stick to the road map and prevent any other political plans from preempting it. He will support Israel's right to self defense and to fight terror. He will refer to a final agreement and how Israel will not be required to withdraw to the Green Line in the West Bank, and that border negotiations will take into consideration the demographic reality on the ground. As for refugees, the Bush letter is expected to say that the refugees can be absorbed in the Palestinian state. The administration is trying to keep the Palestinian Authority in the picture, last week hosting Finance Minister Salam Fayad, who met with Rice and other senior officials. Fayad told them that the Israeli disengagement has "positive potential" but it will be difficult to implement and make progress without the PA's power and without economic stability. He asked the U.S. to press Israel to return some NIS 37 million the Israel Defense Forces confiscated from Ramallah banks, and the NIS 800 million in PA tax money that is under lien by order of an Israeli court to cover damages owed by the PA in Israeli court judgments against it. According to reports reaching Israel, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak came out of his meeting this week with Bush satisfied that he can "live with" the presidential promises Bush will give Sharon. haaretz.com

To: Thomas M. who wrote (4613)	4/14/2004 4:03:09 PM
From: Machaon	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 22250

You posted:<font color=blue>"Israel forces the UN to suspend emergency food aid to Gaza:"<font color=black> Good! Perhaps that emergency food aid can be sent to Israel, to aid the children of parents who were murdered by Palestinian terrorists.

To: Thomas M. who wrote (4613)	4/14/2004 5:52:32 PM
From: Pogeu Mahone	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 22250

Great News for Israel:) Furious Palestinians Reject Bush Pledges to Israel Wed Apr 14, 2004 04:39 PM ET Printer Friendly \| Email Article \| Purchase for Reprint (Page 1 of 2) More story pictures Related Articles Bitter Palestinians Lose Hope at Bush's Words US-Israel Talks Rile Militants By Wafa Amr RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian leaders denounced President Bush's pledge to Israel on Wednesday that it could keep parts of the West Bank as a rejection of Palestinian rights that endangers the region's future. "Bush is the first U.S. president to give legitimacy to Jewish settlements on Palestinian land. We reject this, we will not accept it," Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie told reporters at his West Bank home. "Nobody in the world has the right to give up Palestinian rights," the moderate premier said in reaction to what appeared to be a historic policy shift -- Bush's implicit recognition of Israel's right to retain settlements in the occupied West Bank. Bush referred to the sprawling suburban settlements as "new realities on the ground" that made it unrealistic for Israel to retreat to the borders of 1967, the year it captured the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the Middle East war. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon won the commitment from Bush as part of his plan to "disengage" from conflict with Palestinians by pulling settlers out of Gaza and cementing a hold on West Bank settlement blocs behind new security lines. "Bush and Sharon are trying to protect each other's political future but endangering the political future of Israel, the Palestinians and the whole region," said Yasser Abed Rabbo of the Palestine Liberation Organization's executive committee. Qurie called on the Quartet that stands behind the "road map" peace plan -- the European Union, United Nations, United States and Russia -- to convene an international conference "to discuss the neglect of Palestinian rights." More than 230,000 Jews have carved out sleek suburban enclaves in the West Bank and Gaza, kept secure by Israeli soldiers, checkpoints, fences and walls that restrict the movements of 3.6 million Palestinians. BUSH REMARKS 'SEVERE BLOW' Qurie called Bush's remarks a "severe blow. We will not deal with unilateral issues, we will only deal with international law and with the (U.S.-backed) road map (peace plan)." Sharon has said his plan is 'unilateral', meaning that he will not negotiate with the Palestinians over its implementation. "This U.S. administration's policies, its bias toward occupation and rejection of international law will jeopardize U.S. interests in the region," said Jibril al-Rajoub, Arafat's security adviser. "The Americans will as a result only reap hostility among the people of the Middle East. This U.S. administration is dealing with the world as if it's a Texas ranch." Continued ...