Prime Miniser Ariel Sharon and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ahead of their talks in Jerusalem on Sunday.
(AP)
Condoleezza Rice laying a wreath at the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem on Sunday.
(Reuters)
Posted on 02/06/2005 12:53:43 PM PST by anotherview
Last Update: 06/02/2005 20:55
Rice urges Israel to avoid unilateral steps on J'lem
By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent Haaretz Staff and Agencies
Prime Miniser Ariel Sharon and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ahead of their talks in Jerusalem on Sunday.
Condoleezza Rice laying a wreath at the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem on Sunday.
(AP)
(Reuters)
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Sunday met with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and President Moshe Katsav, and urged them to maintain the status quo over Jerusalem, and avoid taking any unilateral steps on the disputed capital which could harm Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Israeli sources said Rice was referring to the government's decision from last summer to apply the absentee property law to tens of thousands of dunams (acres) of Palestinian property in East Jerusalem. Attorney General Menachem Mazuz last week instructed Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to order an immediate halt to the application of the law. The sources said Rice may also have been referring to the decision to build the separation fence in Jerusalem, and to expand Jewish neighborhoods in the city.
Rice said Sunday that the disengagement plan is an historic opportunity, and that the future security of Palestinians and Israelis will be ensured only by two states exisiting side by side.
In an interview with TV Channel 2 Rice emphasized the importance of direct contact between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators, and minimum involvement of mediators such as the U.S.
When asked about the right of return for Palestinian refugees, the secretary of state said that while new demographic realities since 1967 must be taken into account, the parties must reach an agreement accommodating to the needs of them both.
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, who was the first Israeli official to meet with Rice on Sunday, told the secretary of state, "Israel will not relinquish its sovereignty over Jerusalem. The issue of Jerusalem will be left to the final status agreement, but we have to intention to harm the Palestinians."
Rice also said that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan must be implemented without delay, and carried out according to its timetable. She told Shalom that Abu Mazen [Abbas] was elected through democratic elections and he needs as much help as possible to give a firm basis to his leadership. Shalom responded that "the pain of the settlers [to be evacuated under the plan] must be understood and empathy must be shown. These people do not know where they will live or where they will work.
Rice arrived in Israel in an optimistic mood Sunday afternoon, as she prepared for talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials two days before the first official Middle East summit since the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat last November.
Her first stop was a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem, where she laid a wreath inside the Hall of Remembrance.
She then met with Shalom, followed by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. She is also due to meet President Moshe Katsav later Sunday.
Ahead of their meeting, Sharon said he was sure his talks with Rice would "contribute to the friendly relations between the two countries." Sharon said he also expected her visit to contribute to the peace process, "which we want to very much want to push forward in the region."
In response, Rice said U.S.-Israel relations were solid "because we share not just interests but values." She said her goal was to "try to advance the cause of peace and to overcome the scourge of terrorism."
Before meeting Shalom, Rice said, "we will ask of our partners and our friends in Israel that Israel continues to make the hard decisions that must be taken in order to promote peace and... the emergence of a democratic Palestinian state.
"This is a time of optimism because fundamental changes are underway in the Middle East as a whole," she added.
After their meeting, Shalom told Channel 2 television that he gave Rice Israel's demands of the Palestinians.
"If the Palestinians do not to everything to halt the smuggling of weapons through tunnels, close the tunnels, close the weapons workshops, gather up illegal weapons - we would simply be giving the violent groups time to regroup and then carry out terror attacks that could collapse the whole process," he said.
On Monday, Rice will travel to the West Bank city of Ramallah for talks with Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia.
Tuesday's summit, hosted and initiated by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, will be attended by Sharon, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah.
Although the U.S. has said that the secretary of state will not attend the talks, her agenda is likely to include in part a review of the plans for the summit.
Rice has signaled she prefers to see Sharon and Abbas make progress as free of foreign mediation as possible.
"I hope we would all get into a mind-set that says if the parties are able to continue to move on their own, that's the very best outcome," Rice told reporters en route to Ankara, the stop before Israel.
Preparations for the Egypt summit are being finalized, but not before her arrival.
Israeli officials assessed that the secretary of state would commend both sides on their recent efforts.
Paul Patin, a spokesman of the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, said Rice would bring up a wide range of issues, including Israel's commitment under the internationally backed road map peace plan to dismantle dozens of unauthorized West Bank settlement outposts and Israeli gestures to the Palestinians, such as the removal of Israeli checkpoints that disrupt Palestinian travel - gestures that would bolster confidence in the new Palestinian leadership.
"Outposts are something that they promised to remove years ago and we expect them to abide by their commitments," Patin said.
She is also expected to call on the Palestinians to do more to restore security and bring an end to violence.
For their part, the Americans are trying to play down Rice's absence from the Egyptian summit.
"It is not necessary to participate at the highest level in every gathering in order to be a major player and part of the solution," a State Department spokesman explained Saturday.
In Israel, police raised their level of operations in various regions around the country Sunday, in anticipation of Rice's arrival and the run-up to Tuesday's summit.
Police decided to bolster forces around the country and checkpoints were set up between the seam line and various Israeli cities. Police will conduct both regular and undercover patrols.
Sharon may invite Mubarak Israeli officials, meanwhile, said Sunday that Sharon may invite his Egyptian counterpart to visit Israel during Tuesday's summit, as relations between the former enemies continue to flourish.
The invitations "is quite likely," said an unnamed official. "We would very much like him to come."
In recent months relations have improved as Egypt took a larger role in mediating between Israel and the Palestinians. The last visit by an Egyptian leader to Israel was by Mubarak in 1995, when he came to the funeral of assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.
Actually, I think you have that backwards. My views are within the American mainstream. Yours are not. What part of a 95-3 Senate vote do you not understand? A 347-35 House vote? Aren't you troubled if President Bush says one thing during his campaign and does precisely the opposite?
Also, since when does America stand for conformity with the mainstream? When Americans elected Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton should conservatives like those on Free Republic have been silenced or banished to "extremist" hangouts because they were outside the mainstream?
We will see very soon whether your view or mine holds sway. We will see what Sharon's response to Dr. Rice's visit is. And we will see the Palestinian response as well. If the Palestinians do not stop the terrorism - things do not move forward. Everyone knows that. And everyone also knows that the US policy is for the establishment of a Palestinian State.
Don't you think you would be happier spouting off anti-Bush, anti-Rice rhetoric on some extremist site somewhere? I mean honestly.
OK, let's play a game of "symantics."
Does this mean that all posts are limited to America or Americans? Please.
By your logic, there would never be a post of interest to conservatives about any other country or place.
Glad you aren't a moderator or their would never be a post about any other country or their policies.
Yes
Then maybe we should stop giving them money! We need Saudi oil (not a lot, Europeans need it more than us, we could survive without it), but we don't need anything from Egypt or Palestine so if they don't cooperate at all, and we don't foresee future cooperation, yeah, we should stop giving them money.
This is irritating. US policy is for the establishment of a Palestinian state. You are outside of American mainstream thought on that. Or are you now saying that you support the establishment of a Palestinian state?
This is an American site. If you want to spout off extremist pro-Zionist rhetoric - why not go to an extremist pro-Zionist web site?
So far, when we say "jump", Israel asks "how high?".
Agree. America should stay out of the mess in the Middle East and end all foreign aid and entanglements with all countries and have a neutral foreign policy. It is not our concern.
Also, America should not be telling Iran what they can and can't do, it is their country.
Yes, good idea. So. Far. Israel. Has. Responded. To. Our. Suggestions.
You said that they had not or that they will not. Obviously, you do not know what you are talking about.
Sometimes. Often, though, definitely not. It happened in 1991 when President George H.W. Bush asked Prime Minister Shamir not to react to an Iraqi missile attack. Scuds fell and Israel did nothing.
How did President Bush repay Prime Minister Shamir? He demanded a stop to settlements. Prime Minister Shamir said "no". President Bush froze some U.S. aid to Israel. Settlement construction continued.
After the first trip by Prime Minister Sharon to Washington the Israeli press described the treatment he received as being "Bushwhacked". Prime Minister Sharon reminded President Bush that Israel is not the same as Czechoslovakia in 1938. He chided the President and reminded him that Israel is an independent nation. Relations grew quite chilly. Then 9/11 happened and all was forgotten as the U.S. and Israel rediscovered their common national interests and common enemies.
I find it alarming that President Bush might be considering a return to pre-9/11 policy. If that is happening I think he will find that Prime Minister Sharon can do precisely the same. That was a brief but unpleasant time in Israeli-American relations.
Basically it comes down to this: American requests or even demands are heeded as those coming from a friend. They are listened to up until they threaten Israeli security. Then Israel has no choice but to politely say "no".
You left off the qualifiers. US policy is for the establishment of a democratic Palestinian state living side by side in peace with Israel.
That's not the kind of state the Palestinians want.
Correction:
This is a site to further conservatism in America, not merely an "American site".
I think it would be far more instructive to hear your views on conservatism in America. Tell me, do you think that supporting Zionism is in the interest of conservatives in America?
Gee wiz. You gave me two examples over years of time. That is sometimes?
I would have said "most of the time".
BTTT.
It takes 2 to tango, and the Palestinians have proven to be unreliable in any peace process repeatedly.
As an American I would prefer the Israelis handle this how they see fit, and that we do not meddle in their internal affairs.
Don't you think you and your commrades would be happier spouting off an an extremist site someplace?
Suggestions? Hah!
The secretary of state goes on a tour broadcast to the whole world and makes "suggestions"? Your idea of a suggestion and mine are a little different.
Feel free to do so, but you can,at least, answer this question: How would a second - after Jordan - mini-Palestinian state serve the interests of US - the country you are loyal to - and why hasn't Rice insisted that the palestinian murderers of American citizens to be handed to American Justice?
I have no problem with the long version. Yes, that is US policy and if the Palestinians move in that direction - which they just did by having elections - they have moved the process along and we are acknowledging that with increased support.
What I do not support is giving a state to a bunch of unrepentant terrorists while terrorism continues. What part of that do you find objectionable? Why do you want to give a state to terrorists? Why is that in America's interests?
Oh, and read the title of the thread again, please. What got me up in arms is not the call for a Palestinian state. Prime Minister Sharon made that part of his campaign platform if you remember. My anger at Secretary Rice is that she is talking about dividing Jerusalem. Do you understand the difference? Did you read the U.S. legislation I posted and what official U.S. policy on that issue is?
You repeat yourself endlessly but never answer my questions. Are you capable of independent thought or are you merely a parrot? Better yet, forget my question and answer Nachum's.
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