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.
lol really?
Uhm let me count how many times we heard of those "cease fires" in the last 3 years from the Palis?
2 or 5 times? Who counts? Every time that "cease fire" ends with an exploded bus/ resturant/ discotec/ market/ Passover dinner/ etc.
You are calling me arrogant? At least I am not blind.
Whoa!!! ;)
We will see.
You are calling me arrogant? At least I am not blind.
Yes, your arrogance is off the charts. "None so blind as those who will not see." I think that fits you as well. Time will tell.
That was a very thought provoking post. ;)
Good luck with that.
Thanks. I'm an optimist and I believe in miracles - but I know this will be a difficult road - just like Iraq has been difficult - but worth it - imo.
I can see a thing that you cant and its the fact that the Arabs don't want peace. They will happily destroy Israel as soon as they can.
They tried to do so 6 times so why not to try for the 7th time then?
Now it seems that the 7th time is coming, thanks to your Presdient and our Prime Minsiter.
And yes, you are blind.
For you I would say: "History always repeats itself, because we never learn from it".
As also:
"We will have peace with the Arabs when they lover their children more than they hate us".
-Former Israeli PM, Golda Meir, after the Yom Kippur war of 1973.
Learn those two quotes. Maybe you'll open your eyes.
One more thing and read it carefully:
----PLO executive committee member Zahir Muhsein on March 31, 1977:
Quote: "The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct 'Palestinian people' to oppose Zionism."
End of Quote.
---PLO executive committee member Zahir Muhsein on March 31, 1977.
Got it?
Another analogy -- in some Future, Mexico develops a Taliban-like government that harbors terrorists. and does so for 80-plus years.
The US throws up a fence and launches retaliatory military raids. The terrorism increases in the times where liberals control government and retaliation pauses. It decreases with conservative in power-- when settlement acivity increases and retaliatory raids are sure responses.
A period of some few months goes by after Juan Tlemepaca -- the chief of the Neuvo Aztlan party in Mexico dies. A more respectable man -- Eduardo de la Gustamienta takes his place. Respectable now, only a few decades ago he too was a terrorist and terrorist coordinator. Elected! Yes, r-i-i-ght, elected!
The King of the UN comes in from Beijing, where the UN has relocated -- while Madame Chelsea Clinton II is President -- and demands that the US (1) split LA into a Mexican and American zone (2) remove American settlers within the occupied terrtories of San Diego west to Dallas and (3) "Tear down that fence Madame Chelsea!".
Otherwise the UN will further raise the International VAT assessed on all US production, And China will stop buying US debt paper. Unthnkable -- the US ecomomy, already struggling would be slaughtered.
The King of the UN, Francois Mitterand-DaoChing the III, insists. He says "My policy as King of *our* UN is for the establishment of a Neuvo Atzlan state once certain conditions are met. It is the Atzlean choice if they meet the conditions or not."
I have heard this quote for years - and I like it. It contains common sense and wisdom - but little arrogant one - what will you do when the Palestinians do begin to love their children? Do you have the humility to see that change is happening or are you blinded by your arrogance?
No children deserve to live the way that Palestinian children do.
Only the most unGodly and unspiritual people on the planet could wish that on them.
However - it still doesn't reperesent the current situation, imo. As long as Israel is leaning on us for support, money, UN veto support, politcal support etc etc - they need to listen to our council. They are always free to refuse our help and they are free to live with the consequences. No one in America is "forcing" Israel to do anything. But they would be wise to work with us, imo.
Btw, long before we got into the predicament you outlined - the American people (or many, many millions of them) would have revolted :-)
You pinged the mod and all that happened is that this got pulled from every category it was in and put in "Heated Discussions" to be lost forever. That did not work out well at all.
I have insomnia and a headache. I think I need to go back to bed.
No matter how well intentioned this cease fire and peace plan seems to be, I cannot support it for the exact reasons you specified above. I am disgusted it is being promoted as something to be proud of in the press. In my opinion, all this is going to do is cost Israeli lives in the future. If it doesnt, I will eat my hat
The Peace Plan just rewarded a whole bunch of murdering terrorists with the exact goal they wanted, and cost Israel a lot of terrain it needs to properly defend itself from invasion. An enemy armored column will be able to cut Israel in half within minutes with the proposed borders they are harping as fair and equitable.
IAF Thunder Pilot, I stand with you on that sentiment. Its wrong.
I take it you are neither a Christian or a Jew then, since both religions believe where the Bible says that Jerusalem (specifically the Temple Mount) is where G-d chose to dwell on earth. I also believe the same Bible refers to Jews as "chosen people". Am I wrong? What do you believe in?
I prefer that the Prime Minister be what he was elected to be, the strong leader of an independent nation. Israel is still an independent nation, is it not?
That is true - I am neither a Christian nor a Jew. I I am neither a Muslim nor a Hindu or a Buddhist. I do not belong to any religion. But I do believe in God and I believe that each individual has their own relationship with God. I do not believe that God loves one person more than another. I believe that God loves all his children with 100% of His love - so when I hear such childish talk as from your friend - "God love me best and is on my side and not on the other guy's side and wants me to get my way" I am repulsed.
I was just listening to Charles Krauthammer on Fox News and he expressed optimism as well. He said that the Palestinians used to ask for land for peace and now they are asking for peace for peace (meaning they want Israel to stop killing their terrorist leaders) - and Krauthammer sees this as hopeful. But then, Mr Krauthammer is not a Bush or Rice basher - even though he has been a skeptic of the "road map".
Btw, you have yet to explain why you think I should care one whit what you think since you made it clear that you didn't care how I felt? For someone who complained repeatedly about not getting answers to your questions - it seems hypocritical to me for you not to answer mine.
I was being provocative :-)
I am combative at times and I enjoy saying what I think will get the bad guy's (that's you and your friends) goat. I knew that that particular statment would do the trick.
However - I still say - if Israel doesn't like the relationship that She has with American - She is free to leave. There are always consequences for decisions and choices we make. Israel has had no better friend than George Bush these last four years. The posts on this thread - easpecially early on - angered me in their denigration of President Bush and Condi Rice. I was outraged by the criticisms and the extremism that I saw.
I truly lessened my support for Israel overnight.
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