Bush:
Palestinian refugees can go to Palestine when the new state is created, he said; Israel is a Jewish state. The major Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are facts on the ground and cannot be wished away. The separation barrier Israel is building between its population centers and those of the Palestinians is OK, as long as it's not forever.And by the way, Bush added, Sharon -- the Israeli whom Palestinians love to hate more than any other -- is a bold and capable leader, one whose courage they should emulate.
If it wasn't the Palestinian leadership's worst nightmare, it was pretty close.
After a morning meeting in Ramallah, they condemned Sharon's proposal to withdraw all Jewish settlements and some military installations from the Gaza Strip as an attempt to turn Gaza into "a big prison."They also threatened to cancel all their "commitments in the signed accords," an apparent reference to Bush's internationally-endorsed "road map" to Mideast peace, in which they committed to repress terrorist organizations and stop incitement against Israel.
Written by David at April 15, 2004 03:49 AM | TrackBack
While this is a step in the right direction, I still bristle when the "facts on the ground" are utterly ignored everyday where Israel is concerned. We ought to have backed Israel's right to defend itself unequivocally a long time ago; we still don't do so. These baby-steps are frustrating.
Ayn Rand said it in Atlas Strugged: "It was lie blaming the victim of a hold-up for corrupting the integrity of a thug."
Posted by: oldsalt at April 16, 2004 12:32 PM