Bush May Accept a Settlement Plan (Israel)

[kskiska]

WASHINGTON, April 13 — President Bush is planning to issue a declaration on Wednesday that his aides say will recognize Israel's right to retain some Jewish settlements in the West Bank as part of any peace accord with the Palestinians.

The declaration, to be made when Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visits the White House, would represent a subtle but substantial shift in American policy, which has viewed the settlements as obstacles to peace and asserted that final borders must be arrived at through negotiations solely between Israel and the Palestinians.

Administration officials also said Mr. Bush would assert that Palestinian refugee families that once lived in Israel should live in a future Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, rather than in the Israeli lands they continue to claim.

The officials said the declarations — planned for Wednesday as part of a carefully scripted visit by Mr. Sharon — are similar to peace proposals put forward in private in 2000 by President Clinton, and represent a shift to a position where Washington would help set specific terms of any agreement.

more…
http://nytimes.com/2004/04/14/international/middleeast/14DIPL.html?hp

[madrchsod]

1. yes, mr sharon, yes

how much money do you need?

[krkaufman]

2. Bush cannot support Israel leaving the West Bank

I just watched a segment of PBS' 'NOW with Bill Moyers' which highlighted that a large portion of Bush's political base would abandon him if he were to truly get behind a Palestinian state.

American Evangelical Christians (sometimes called Christian Zionists) link Israel's control of its current land plus the West Bank and all of Jerusalem to the second coming of J Diddy, and so Bush cannot afford to support the only solution that might bring peace between Israel and Palestine.

see: http://www.pbs.org/now/thisweek/index_022004.html

---

Scary bunch of critters really, what with that whole "Left Behind" thing. Although, a bumper sticker my bro' told me about that's related to the "Left Behind" angle is damn humorous:

"In case of Rapture, CAN I HAVE YOUR CAR?"

[Zhade]

3. I saw that segment. Those people are mad.

NT!