Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of
Judah were oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them
fast; they refused to let them go. (Jeremiah 50:5)

For Israel hath not been forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of
hosts; though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel.
(Jeremiah 51:5)
 

04/06/2004 14:39

U.S. presses Israel to meet commitments

By Aluf Benn and Nathan Guttman, Haaretz Correspondents

Israel and the United States began a series of meetings this week revolving
around the fulfillment of promises made by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to
the Bush administration. The commitments include freezing construction in
the settlements, evacuating unauthorized outposts and easing the freedom of
movement of Palestinians in the territories.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Kurtzer met with Baruch Spiegel, who was
appointed by Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz to handle talks with the
administration. The two officials reviewed a list of Israeli commitments
included in an April 14 letter from the chief of staff of the Prime
Minister's Bureau, Dov Weisglass, to U.S. National Security Advisor
Condoleezza Rice.

Diplomatic sources said that Kurtzer asked that Israel delay completion of
the security fence surrounding Jerusalem so as not to aggravate conditions
for the Palestinians in the Jerusalem metropolitan area, particularly in the
Al-Ram neighborhood.

Kurtzer also raised the Israeli promise to leave sufficient crossing points
in the fence to allow normal communication for Palestinians with families on
both sides of the fence, particularly in areas where enclaves of Palestinian
villages are scheduled to be created.

In the letter, Israel committed itself to define the line to which no
further settlement construction will be allowed and to present a list of
outposts scheduled for removal by May 14. No such list has been presented,
even though three outposts have been removed.

In a meeting between Rice and Weisglass in Washington on Tuesday, the
adviser reiterated that Israel must abide by its commitments.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell told the Middle East News Agency on
Thursday that he believes Sharon is committed to the Gaza withdrawal plan.

"The details on the stages of the plan - I think we must wait and see,"
Powell said. However, he added that "his basic commitment to remove 21
settlements in Gaza and another four in the West Bank are part of a start to
the process. This is the position he presented to the President [Bush] when
he was here, and this remains his position, and this is that stance that we
support."

In preparation of the meeting of G-8 industrialized countries in the United
States next week, a revised plan for reform in the Middle East gives
prominence to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. A draft of the plan answers
many of the criticisms Arabs made when the Greater Middle East Initiative
was leaked in February.

The Bush administration has been pushing the plan arguing that reform in the
Arab world is the best antidote to religious extremism and Arab hostility to
the United States.

But the Arab critics said the original version ignored the role of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict in creating unrest, and took a paternalistic
attitude to the region's residents.

The new version says that "the resolution of long-lasting, often bitter,
disputes, especially the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, is an important
element of progress in the region."

Maranatha,
David
www.soundanalarm.net