I LOVE YOU PRESIDENT BUSH! I LOVE YOU!
Posted on 04/14/2004 5:14:37 PM PDT by Cinnamon Girl
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian leaders denounced President Bush's pledge to Israel on Wednesday that it could keep parts of the West Bank as a rejection of Palestinian rights endangering the region's future.
"Bush is the first U.S. president to give legitimacy to Jewish settlements on Palestinian land. We reject this, we will not accept it," Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie told reporters at his West Bank home. "Nobody in the world has the right to give up Palestinian rights," the moderate premier said in reaction to what appeared to be a historic policy shift -- Bush's implicit recognition of Israel's right to retain settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Bush referred to the sprawling suburban settlements as "new realities on the ground" that made it unrealistic for Israel to retreat to the borders of 1967, the year it captured the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the Middle East war.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon won the commitment from Bush as part of his unilateral plan to "disengage" from conflict with Palestinians by pulling settlers out of Gaza and cementing a hold on West Bank settlement blocs behind new security lines.
The militant Islamist faction Hamas said Bush had hardened his "hostile position" toward the Palestinians, and vowed that "resistance" -- its term for suicide bombings and ambushes -- would go on until Israel pulled out of all occupied land. Khaled al-Batsh of Hamas' militant ally Islamic Jihad said Bush had made a "declaration of war" on Palestinians aimed at "blowing up our cause and taking it back to square one."
"Bush and Sharon are trying to protect each other's political future but endangering the political future of Israel, the Palestinians and the whole region," said Yasser Abed Rabbo of the Palestine Liberation Organization's executive committee.
Qurie called on the Quartet that stands behind the "road map" peace plan -- the European Union, United Nations, United States and Russia -- to convene an international conference "to discuss the neglect of Palestinian rights."
More than 230,000 Jews have carved out sleek suburban enclaves in the West Bank and Gaza, kept secure by Israeli soldiers, checkpoints, fences and walls that restrict the movements of 3.6 million Palestinians.
BUSH REMARKS 'SEVERE BLOW'
The moderate Qurie called Bush's remarks a "severe blow. We will not deal with unilateral issues, we will only deal with international law and with the road map." "This U.S. administration's policies, its bias toward occupation and rejection of international law will jeopardize U.S. interests in the region," said Jibril al-Rajoub, security adviser to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.
"The Americans will as a result only reap hostility among the people of the Middle East. This U.S. administration is dealing with the world as if it's a Texas ranch."
Bush and Sharon repeated commitments to revive the road map, which envisages a viable Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. But Israel rules out negotiations until Palestinian authorities put a stop to militant violence.
Bush also appeared to deny Palestinian refugees any right of return to what is now Israel, saying they should be resettled in a future Palestinian state instead.
I LOVE YOU PRESIDENT BUSH! I LOVE YOU!
Arafat said "this ends the peace process." What a joke.
This truly is beautiful. President Bush is taking sides, openly, without even so much as diplomatic double-speak to soothe the savages.And speaking of savages, Hamas' threats in this article are laughable. Hamas has already failed to back up its threat to "make the ground shake" in retaliation for Israel's killing of Yassin. If Hamas can't hurt Israel on its home turf, then Hamas certainly can't harm the U.S. elsewhere.
Ergo, Hamas is impotent. The terrorists are being neutered around the world even as we speak.
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan criticized President Bush on Wednesday for ignoring the Palestinians' wishes in implicitly recognizing Israel's claim to some West Bank settlements. A U.N. spokesman said that the U.S. policy shift appeared to circumvent negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians necessary for any final peace settlement.
The secretary-general reiterated his position that unresolved details of a final Middle East peace deal "should be determined in negotiations between the parties, based on relevant Security Council resolutions," said spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
Um. This means they've been loving us? Who'da thunk it?
I am afraid it might disrupt the peace process and cause the Palestinians to kill some Jews. Then the Jews will retaliate by killing some Palestinians, and we will have ongoing sporatic killing of both sides for years to come. This will be caused by Bush meddling in their affairs. - tom
Now he's gone and done it.
you mean the days of being LOVED by the arabs is over???? bummer
Yet another example of the world of difference between President Bush and Clintoon-- you've never seen President Bush holding hands with the mass murderer of Ramallah.
I'm Shocked !! ... Did that sound believable? .. I didn't think so
We could give the palestinians 99% of the land in Israel and it STILL would not be good enough for the them
By their inaction re: Iraq, the un has seen to it that there's no longer any such thing...
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