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.
Israel doesn't have to take it. Around here if someone doesn't "need" something - they have the integrity not to take it.
That's what most of the posts in this thread are about. Perhaps you need to read the posts here and then try and tell me that they are pro-America and pro-Bush.
If you do not agree with the anti-Rice, anti-Bush posts in this thread - please point me to your posts refuting them.
I have preferred to think
that Bush was negative toward Israel only as demanded by the puppet masters under thread of death.
The Condi stuff is most disturbing.
I really don't like a lot of the current winds. Not that they are shockingly surprising. Just hoped I'd not see such from this administration.
Sigh.
Even, so, come quickly, Lord Jesus--except for the souls we may yet be able to love into Your Kingdom by your grace, Blood and Spirit.
It has been the longstanding policy of the U.S. Government to maintain our embassy in Tel Aviv so as not to prejudice the Final Status negotiations for Jerusalem. Rice is merely restating U.S. policy in order to maintain our maneuvering room.
Further, it does no good for Rice to encourage Israel to maintain settlements that we have said, on record and through three Administrations, that we oppose. If we want to pull the settlements back towards the Green Line, well, fine. But the ones in the interior of the West Bank are exposed to constant guerilla activity and would have to be resupplied by convoy or helicopter were they cut off. That's not living.
Condoleezza Rice is the Secretary of State. She is about the business of conducting American foreign policy, not that of Israel. It just so happens that on most issues, our policies coincide. Were she Israel's foreign minister, I would expect Abu Mazen to be wearing Brown colored pants right about now, but she's not.
I'd rather she works for us than for anyone else.
Good on ya', Condi!
Be Seeing You,
Chris
It is so easy to be a maximalist keyboard warrior. That tends to be something of a syndrome in this neighborhood. There is risk in war, and risk in peace. Good choosing requires good judgment. Nothing else will substitute.
BTTT
Good grief. I find myself agreeing with you.
It must be the end times.
I really don't care if you find my post offensive. I do NOT want us to take American support if the price is that we have to commit suicide if the U.S. government tells us to. Insisting on not taking care of Iran would be tantamount to that. Asking Jews to give up Jerusalem is like asking Christians to give up the Vatican and then some, or Muslims to give up Mecca.
Sorry, no, American support simply isn't worth that.
We are independent. We will always be independence. Never has the U.S. said we have to surrender our soveriegnty for aid which is mostly loan guarantees in any cases -- loans which have always been repaid with interest.
If the price of U.S. aid is our right to defend our national interests then we need no such aid.
Funny, but those checks didn't come with those kind of strings attached AFAIK.
Fella, every check comes with a string attached. Don't be naive.
One only has to look at her very, very close personal relationship with the President to arrive at the correct conclusion.
A substantial amount of aid that America gives to Israel is not in loans. It is billions of dollars to spend at American military equipment manufacturers.
I'm not trying to be anti-Israel here, I'm just pointing out that if we wanted, we could tell Israel to jump and if Israel didn't jump, we could take the money back. Not that we should, just that we could. There is no way to avoid this, it's natural, just like the laws of supply and demand.
Perhaps you don't understand what I am saying. I am saying that if you don't like taking American council then it's time for American aid to stop.
Apparently we agree. So let's stop the American aid to Israel! I find you offensive still. As I said to another of your rude commrades - be careful how arrogant you get.
Time to stop it then. Tell America that you no longer want our support.
So you are telling "most" of the posters in this thread to go elsewhere? Who are you?
No the onus is on you to point out any posts that are anti-Bush or anti-America. Being pro-Israel or against this particular policy does not fit the global description you have given. I have seen numerous criticisms of Pres Bush and policies on this forum (immigration, Iraq, search and seizure, land regulation, ROP). That is as it should be. This is a political forum.
If you do not agree with the anti-Rice, anti-Bush posts in this thread - please point me to your posts refuting them.
Again I do not have to prove anything. I already stated my opinion that Pres Bush has been a wonderful friend to Israel. You know since you quoted me. I can criticize this policy without being “anti-America.” Further I made valid points about the money we give to Europe and Egypt and you have yet to address my substantive points. As to your repeated comments that Israel should refuse the aid, again I ask why? Did France refuse the US contribution to NATO before it stuck the shiv in at the UN?
If you don’t have an answer that’s fine, but don’t try intimidation instead.
You have said nothing that I find substantive. My view remains the same - if Israel doesn't like American council - then Israel is free to go it alone, or as one of your commrades said - Israel may decide to link up with China. And if that is the calibre of thinking here - I urge you to make the link.
I am sick of anti-Americanism, anti-Bush, anti-Rice vitriol. I am fed up with it. My loyalty is to America. I have supported President Bush's tough stand with Arafat and the so-called Palestinaians - but I am truly outraged with the garbage posted on this thread and as far as I'm concerned - if you all cannot work with us - by all means - move on.
Exodus 23:31-33
(God said) And I will fix your boundaries from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, and from the southern desserts to the Euphrates River. I will help you defeat the people now living in the land, and you will drive them out ahead of you. Make no treaties with them and have nothing to do with their gods. Do not even let them live among you! If you do, they will infect you with their sin of idol worship, and that would be disastrous for you.
The Arabs will never hold up their end of any agreement. They will hang themselves.
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