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-- Sharon to Get U.S. Nod to Keep W.Bank Land -

Sharon to Get U.S. Nod to Keep W.Bank Land -

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news...sharon-usa.html

quote:

Sharon to Get U.S. Nod to Keep W.Bank Land - Report By REUTERS Published: April 10, 2004 Filed at 11:23 p.m. ET JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will receive, in exchange for a planned Gaza pullout, a written U.S. assurance Israel will not have to quit all of the West Bank in any future peace deal, an Israeli newspaper said on Sunday. The Haaretz daily said the pledge would be contained in a letter that President Bush will hand Sharon at their White House meeting on Wednesday. Political analysts say the more benefits the United States offers Sharon in the meetings in Washington, the easier it will be for him to obtain backing at home for his declared plan to withdraw from Gaza and four of some 120 West Bank settlements. Advertisement The Palestinians want all of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war, for the state they hope to establish under a U.S.-backed peace ``road map.'' But, the newspaper said, Bush's letter will declare that Israel will not be asked in the future to withdraw to the pre-1967 boundary known as the ``green line.'' Determination of borders in any final-status accord with the Palestinians will take into consideration ``demographic realities'' on the ground, Haaretz quoted from the letter in an indirect reference to Jewish settlements on occupied land. There was no immediate official Israeli comment on the report, which was carried by the newspaper's Web Site before the morning newspaper hit the stands. The report was likely to stoke Palestinian fears the Gaza pullout plan is an Israeli ruse to annex West Bank settlement blocs. Haaretz said Israeli officials believe the letter constituted U.S. acquiescence to such a future move. According to the newspaper, Bush's letter will effectively challenge any right of return by Palestinian refugees to what is now Israel, saying they can be absorbed in a future Palestinian state. The prime minister plans to submit his ``disengagement plan'' this month to a binding vote by the 200,000 members of his right-wing Likud party, which like Sharon has long supported settlement building. In his own letter to Bush, Sharon will reiterate Israel's commitment to the road map peace plan and the president's vision of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Haaretz said. Palestinians have said Sharon's unilateral steps contradict the road map's vision of mutual moves toward peace and a negotiated settlement leading to the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005. Sharon has said that more than three years of violence has shown that Israel has no real Palestinian peace partner.

Lol @ "roadmap."

What a joke.

While I am certainly not one of these rabid anti-Israeli, pro-Palestinian or pro-Israeli anti-Palestinian believers, I certainly don't like the sound of this alleged agreement. It stinks of direct U.S. involvement in sanctioning Israeli policies which only adds to the opinion about U.S. involvment in the region. When will the government of my nation learn. If this "policy" is true then I am sorely disappointed at this stance taken.

IMO, Israel should either pull out of the West Bank or treat it exactly the same as Israel (ie give the people there the right to vote in the Israeli elections)

quote:

Originally posted by George Smiley IMO, Israel should either pull out of the West Bank or treat it exactly the same as Israel (ie give the people there the right to vote in the Israeli elections)

Yes, I'm also in favor of a unified democracy.

One man one vote!

quote:

Originally posted by DaveSZ Yes, I'm also in favor of a unified democracy. One man one vote!

There is just one little slight problem with that tho...

If Israel were to annex the West Bank and Gaza (creating the Geater Israel) and gave the Arabs that lived there equal democratic rights as it gives to the rest of its citizes, then the Jewish state would no longer exist! I'm not sure how many Arabs there are total in Israel and the occupied territories, but I'm fairly sure the Jews would no longer make up an overwhelming majority in the population, and more importantly, in Parliement...

I dont think Israel would allow the above situation to happen, so continuing the occupation whilest at the same time not allowing the Palestinians the same democratic rights as Israelis is their best solution - they keep the West Bank and Gaza and keep the Jewish majority in politics!

I think it's a stupid move by Sharon - Bush may not be in power for that much longer, and I have a feeling that the next-in-office is going to be doing a lot of backpedaling on Bush's policies.

quote:

Originally posted by DigiNut I think it's a stupid move by Sharon - Bush may not be in power for that much longer, and I have a feeling that the next-in-office is going to be doing a lot of backpedaling on Bush's policies.

To be perfectly honest, I dont really expect Kerry to be much different to Bush in support for Israel, in fact, I always thought that if any party, it would be the Republicans who could afford to take a tougher line on Israel than the Democrats

Re: Sharon to Get U.S. Nod to Keep W.Bank Land -

quote:

Originally posted by DaveSZ

Ahh this is excellent news!







... to be honest though, if anyone thinks such a think actually will happen it will be done only for political reasons.
Second, I don't see how Bush declearing that Israel musn't pull out of all the West Bank is different than what has been the defacto US policy for the bast 30+ years. So excuse me if this is more media hupplah than substance.
Third, since when has Bush ever kept his word

quote:

Originally posted by George Smiley There is just one little slight problem with that tho...

Not really just a 'slight' problem than eh?

quote:

If Israel were to annex the West Bank and Gaza (creating the Geater Israel) and gave the Arabs that lived there equal democratic rights as it gives to the rest of its citizes, then the Jewish state would no longer exist! I'm not sure how many Arabs there are total in Israel and the occupied territories, but I'm fairly sure the Jews would no longer make up an overwhelming majority in the population, and more importantly, in Parliement... I dont think Israel would allow the above situation to happen, so continuing the occupation whilest at the same time not allowing the Palestinians the same democratic rights as Israelis is their best solution - they keep the West Bank and Gaza and keep the Jewish majority in politics!

If Israel were to Annex the West Bank and Gaza just as you wish, but not now, and instead in 1967 or a couple years later like the Israeli hawks wanted you would have Arabs living happy in prospertiy and peace as Israeli Arabs, and Jews not having to fear for their numbers or a lose of their nation.

Of course you do realize the 'same type' of people as you were against that back than, because the 'same type' of people as me were for it

Of course has the "hawk" philosophy provailed there would probably never have been any Palestinian issue, and Israel would be living at peace at least with in its "greater" borders. And most likelys till enjoying peace with Egypt and Jordan.

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