NEWS: Palestinians Dismayed by Bush Endorsement of Israeli Plan

As expected, the Palestinians are very dissappointed with U.S. President George Bush's decision to back Israel's Sharon plans for selective withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Under the proposal, Israel would withdraw from all of the Gaza Strip and four small West Bank settlements, and impose a boundary on the Palestinians, however Israel will keep six settlements. Palestinian leaders and Yasser Arafat are frantically seeking internation support for their greivances. In related events 20 Palestinians were injured when an Israeli gunship fired a missile during a raid of a refugee camp. Also the Islamic militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad denounced Bush's endorsement of Sharon's plan. Hamas called it "part of the American war declared against Islam and ... in harmony with the American terrorism against our people in Iraq."

Palestinians Dismayed by Bush Endorsement of Israeli Plan for Territories
While voicing support for an independent Palestinian state, Bush also gave unprecedented U.S. backing for Israel to hold on to some settlements in the West Bank. He also ruled out allowing Palestinian refugees to return to Israel after a Palestinian state is created.

Those concessions enraged the Palestinians, who want an independent state in all of the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, area Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war.

In his speech, Arafat said the Palestinians would never give up their "right of return" to lost properties in what is now Israel. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled or were forced out of their homes during the 1948 Mideast War.

Arafat did not mention Sharon or Bush by name, but criticized "the extremist Israeli rulers and those who support them."

The Palestinian leaders appealed to the international community to support a negotiated solution based on the 1967 borders and the road map.

In Brussels, the European Union, one of the sponsors of the road map, said its leaders "would not recognize any change to the pre-1967" borders unless it was part of a negotiated solution.

Related ATS Articles and Threads:
Bush Sells Out The Palestinians.

[Edited on 4-15-2004 by worldwatcher]

I know there are some who believe that Tony Blair has already backed Bush on this.I think those that have not already should read the text of the statement made by Blair on this developement.

"I welcome prime minister Sharon's announcement that Israel intends to withdraw the Israeli Defence Forces from the Gaza Strip and dismantle all Israeli settlements there as well as some in the West Bank.

The international community, led by the quartet, must now work together to seize this opportunity to inject new life into the peace process in accordance with the roadmap. We all want to see a comprehensive peace agreed by the two sides leading to two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security. Israeli withdrawal should be an important step toward that objective.

Israel should now coordinate with the Palestinians on the detailed arrangements. The Palestinian Authority must show the political will to make the withdrawal from Gaza a success and to deliver on their Roadmap responsibilities, especially regarding security.

The UK will play a full part in the international effort to build up the Palestinian Authority's capabilities to deliver an effective administration, economic progress and improved security for Palestinians and Israelis.

I shall be discussing this further with the UN secretary general in New York on April 15 and with President Bush in Washington on April 16, and in due course with leaders from the region."


I think it's pretty clear from that even with the Diplomatic Speak that a unilateral imposition of Sharon's plan including the annexation of 50% of the West Bank is unacceptable.




[Edited on 15-4-2004 by John bull 1]

Did you guys see the DEBKA analysis I referenced in JB's thread? What do you guys think about the possibility that this could "backfire" on Sharon and actually turn out to provide the Palestians with more land in the long run? Especially with the EU (and world community at this point) bringing together a united voice against this unilateral decision - this powers the possibility that Egypt and Jordan could actually use this "1949" statement to turn the tables.