Posted on 06/19/2005 6:20:40 AM PDT by SJackson
Where Israel's withdrawal from all major Arab population centers in Judea, Samaria and Gaza over the past decade failed to elicit “Palestinian” reciprocity and cooperation, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's “disengagement” plan was sure to succeed.
So said US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during a joint press conference with PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah Saturday.
She repeated that assertion in an official statement released prior to her meeting with Sharon in Jerusalem Sunday morning.
“A successful disengagement will enhance the security of Israel, and it should give a sense of confidence and trust between the Israelis and Palestinians as they look to a better future,” the statement read.
That, Sharon replied, would depend “on the Palestinians stopping the terror, violence and incitement, dismantling and disarming terror groups, and implementing the needed reforms.”
Since the start of the “Oslo” peace process in 1993, Israel has relinquished large swaths of its biblical heartland and transferred control over the lives of some 98 percent of Palestinian Arabs to the PLO-controlled Palestinian Authority.
During that same time, the PA has categorically failed to fulfill its primary obligation – repeated in every subsequent agreement – to disarm and dismantle the anti-Jewish “Palestinian” terrorist infrastructure.
Rice used her 48-hours of high-level talks to urge Israel and the PA to work together to ensure the Gaza-Samaria withdrawal took place in the absence of violence.
“Both parties will have to do their part if this is indeed to be a peaceful and orderly withdrawal,” she said Saturday.
Rice said Washington viewed the expulsion of some 10,000 Jews as a promising opportunity to rejuvenate and accelerate its Road Map peace plan, and hoped her hosts were on the same page.
“We must all focus on the disengagement as our best chance to re-energize the Road Map plan for peace,” she stated.
Rice reiterated her government's determination to help birth a Palestinian Arab state on ancient Jewish lands, and said the Bush Administration was “proud to be the number one donor to the [PLO-controlled Palestinian] Authority.”
She also again assured Israel it had no support from the Bush Administration to unilaterally annex large Jewish settlement blocs in Judea and Samaria, including Jewish neighborhoods in eastern Jerusalem.
Any such permanent changes to the pre-1967 borders would have to win the consent of the PLO, Rice said.
-- Since the start of the “Oslo” peace process in 1993, Israel has relinquished large swaths of its biblical heartland and transferred control over the lives of some 98 percent of Palestinian Arabs to the PLO-controlled Palestinian Authority.
During that same time, the PA has categorically failed to fulfill its primary obligation – repeated in every subsequent agreement – to disarm and dismantle the anti-Jewish “Palestinian” terrorist infrastructure. --
R-E-P-E-A-T-E-D F-A-I-L-U-R-E
And it's going to succeed this time because???
If this brilliant woman doesn't get it, if left siding Israelis who have lived through 1993 don't get it, what chance do we stand?
If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.
Condi Rice is less to blame than Ariel Sharon.
Ariel Sharon stabbed his constituents in the back.
He said he wouldn't, but then he did.
He said that he would allow a referendum first, then he didn't.
Ariel Sharon is a traitor, but he is the leader of Israel. What is Condi Rice supposed to do?
Personally, as a purely Israeli iniative, I think it's a mistake for the US to inject it into the "road map". I understand Condi's need to be evenhanded, but a some point even the US is going to have to recognize that without a cessation of incitement and a dismantling of terror, there's not going to be a "road map" or any other form of negotiatied settlement. Given the fact that the PA has specifically stated they're going to do neither, I think it's time the US either explains the rules to the palestinians, at the risk of being un-evenhanded, or if they've changed, explain the changes to Israel.
If there were no Jews, there would be no problem whatsoever. Think of that!
The disengagement plan of Israel is a one-sided determination of what will be the border between Israel and Palestine. The idea that Israel would have pockets of Israelis within Patestine is untenable without a cooperative partner. Similarly, the idea that Palestine would have two roadways through Israeli connecting its two parts is not going to happen if Palestine isn't cooperative. There are really one major and one minor problem left to a unilaterally-imposed final settlement. The minor problem is rationalizing the border along the green line for most of the way, then erecting an imprenetrable fence and controlling the border. The major problem is east Jerusalem and maybe even the eastern suburbs of Jersalem. I believe a majority of the residents there would prefer incorporation into Israel. But, however little or much of east Jerusalem is incorporated, the Dome of the Rock is going to be in Isreal, and closing the border between Israel and Palestine is going to be a major problem. This major probelm is why the Oslo Accords imagined that there might be a relatively open border between the two countries, including the possibilities of Jewish enclaves within Palestine, or two roads connecting Gaza and the West Bank going through Isreal, and an open Jerusalem. But, even after a generation has passed, this kind of final settlement is still impossible.
hopefully this is the plan--give up something Big,which in the scheme of things is not important amd most israelis DO NOT care about,knowing the infintile idiots(palestinians) won't stop terror so in a blink of an eye the IDF can regain control of what they want (a buffer zone) and maybe more of the west bank--and it would be in a blink of an eye,hezzbolah will attack from syria and in another blink the Us and israel would take syria and hezzbolah out and if IRAN raises a hand the US will fry them--all over in a day or so--anyway my dream
Didn't you mean to post that on one of the "Jews vote for Democrats" threads?
I bet she's gluing the wings to pigs right now.
She's just stating the plain truth about the underlying assumption of this "peace process", it appears to me.
Does anyone know...are Condi's comments serious?? If so, what planet is she from. It seems there is a thread of naivete that runs thru the Bush Administration that you would only expect to find in the democrat party.
Yeah, sure appeasement always works. The American bird is not an eagle, it's a chicken. Bush has taken over the funding and support of terrorist instead of working to end it.
Amen to that. Israel's suicidal Socialist government is entirely to blame. They could simply say "STFU" and do what they please. But they don't. Bush and Rice can threaten whatever they want. Congress will never go along and punish Israel for the Bush family's Arabist fantasies, just as they ignored Bush's pathetic plea to fully fund the U.N. The American people support Israel. Sharon should know this. It is his fault alone, and not American pressure, that is to blame for Israel's slow-motion suicide.
This woman is clueless. It is not about land, or peace or Palestinians and Jews . It is about Muslims and Infidels.
There will never be any peace, unless the Muslims give up their religion and turn their back on God (Allah) to get along with the infidels. That is not going to happen. - Tom
"Socialist government"?
Socialist government??? When was the last time you have read the economy news from Israel? The rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer, the payments of social care were lowered dramatically in the last 3 years, etc.
Not soemthing that a socialist government would have done.
I don't know if it will work, but I think it's the only thing outside of outright war that will.
There are no Palestinians, who will bargain in good faith and are powerful enough to keep their promises. So negotiation is not a realistic option. War is always an option, but it's not really a preferred one.
Sharon is telling the Palestinians, "You want your own country? Here it is, borders and all. Make of it what you will."
If it works, as opposed to Oslo, it will be because it was done by a man who is more interested in Israeli security than world opinion or Nobel prizes. If it is successful, it will be for the same reason Nixon could go to China, Begin could make peace with Sadat, and Reagan could talk with Gorbachev -- because no one doubted their commitment to national security.
It may not work. But it's the only remaining chance for peace.
I like Ms Rice yet why would the PLO go for anything but time when each administration gives em more and more and more.........time is on the PLO side in this game IMO.
Someone tell me just how what these twits are doing is any better than what Kerry would have done? Kerry was anti-Israel and pro-Arab. Bush's policies have become a death warrant for Israel. HOW IS THIS ANY DIFFERENT THAN IF THE TRAITOR PARTY HAD WON? In either case, we're still screwing over the ONLY democratic government and real ally we have in that warped part of the world!!!
Just minutes ago on CNN, Rice reiterated that no such promises to Israel were really made.
You can see the future by seeing the present.
While Rice presents the "Palestinians" and their peaceful intentions, mortars fall on Israeli cities and now
Gunmen kill IDF soldier, wound 2 in Gaza attack
In the first term there was some hope that the US was breaking its modus of 50 plus years and perpetual war. The policy of allowing Israel to fight back occasionally but never win anything substantial and permanent.
Instead, in this second term, "Israel's best friend ever" is engaged in a seriously anti-Israel mode which will lead to more and more violence and a severely weakened Israel.
American policy in the MidEast is very strange. It supports Israel while simultaneously always giving the Arabs hope of the ultimate victory of Israel's destruction.
The Arabs never lose. They are never punished. They can try to destroy Israel over and over and over. When they fail, things go back to square one- or worst from Israel's point of view.
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