Posted on 01/10/2008 1:44:39 PM PST by Wiz
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush, hardening his tone towards Israel on Thursday, urged an end to "the occupation" of the West Bank and pushed for a peace treaty to be signed within a year to create a Palestinian state.
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The United States rarely uses the politically charged word "occupation" to describe Israel's hold on lands captured in a 1967 war. It is a term Palestinians seeking a state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip employ frequently to describe their plight.
"The establishment of the state of Palestine is long overdue. The Palestinian people deserve it," Bush said in a statement he read to reporters in a Jerusalem hotel.
Bush's language, after he traveled to the West Bank city of Ramallah past Israeli checkpoints and settlements, could cause political pain to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, whose right-wing coalition partners usually bridle at such remarks.
"There should be an end to the occupation that began in 1967," Bush said. He had earlier met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and visited Bethlehem, also in the West Bank.
Bush pressed the Palestinians to rein in militants. He said any negotiations must also ensure Israel has "secure, recognized and defensible borders" alongside a "viable, contiguous, sovereign and independent" Palestine.
Challenging skeptics of his new push for peace on the first U.S. presidential visit to Ramallah, he told a news conference with Abbas: "I believe it's going to happen, that there will be a signed peace treaty by the time I leave office."
An Israeli official said Bush's remarks were the basis for moving forward with negotiations.
"We accept them. We see them as consistent with understandings with the Americans and as a positive foundation for moving forward," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I don’t want to get all biblical over here but it seems Bush is removing our protective hand from Israel. He and the DOS have been working overtime to stab them in the back while helping their and our enemies. I think about how our country is starting to swirl down the drain and can’t help but wonder if it’s Bible prophecy rearing its head.
And God shall have the last word on betrayers of Israel and all of God's people (Christians and Jews):
see my post #102......too late about “getting all Biblical.” America will be judged....and most severely Bush, who is leading the charge in betraying Israel, her people and American Christians, imho.
That’s how I read it, nic. I’m glad I’m not alone in my thinking.
But.........”doesn’t Bush’s tie look so lovely today”????
gag!
WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MAJOR EVENTS OF THE DAY OF THE LORD?
#1) In the day of the Lord (Zeph 1:14-15), Gaza will be forsaken
#2) In the day of the Lord (Joel 2:1), the land of Israel will be divided by the nations (Joel 3:2)
#3) In the day of the Lord (Zech 14:2), Jerusalem will be divided.
The “enemy” will say that the “mountains of Israel” (West Bank) belongs to them (Ezekiel 36:1-2).
Has anyone noticed that the nations of the world met at Annapolis to divide the land of Israel (Joel 3:2) and the city of Jerusalem (Zech 14:2) ? Does anyone realize that the creation of a PLO state is a “day of the Lord” (tribulation event) ? Does anyone realize that there has been a verbal pledge to create a PLO state by the end of 2008?
#4) In the day of the Lord (Is 13:6), Babylon is destroyed through a confrontation with the Medes (Iran) (Is 13:17).
Has anyone noticed that the Bush administration has suggested the possibility of going to war with Iran over its nuclear development program?
Babylon is destroyed through a confrontation with the Medes (Iran) in the time known as the ‘vengeance of YHVH’ (Jer 51:11) over the ‘controversy of Zion’ (Is 34:8)
#5) In the day of the Lord (Joel 2:1), Jews will be removed from their homes (Joel 3:6)
#6) In the day of the Lord (Zech 14:1), the nations will be judged for dividing Jerusalem (Zech 14:3) and the judgment will be nuclear (Zech 14:12)
Does anyone understand that when the Bush Administration and the USA had pledged to create a PLO state (and thus divide the land of Israel and the city of Jerusalem) that the judgment for doing so is nuclear destruction (Zechariah 14:12).
These are from an e-mail from Eddie Chumney.
I believe he has some very good points.
Gag-o-rama I actually find myself at a loss. I’m so taken aback by his statement I have to gather my thoughts.
Freepmail
You are right. I wish the Lord would pour out His wrath only on the person who is troubling the children of Israel at any given time, but historically He has chosen to smite whole nations. When will leaders ever learn?
I’ll be back....
See ya.
“a peace treaty to be signed within a year to create a Palestinian state.”
He’ll see them in the Rose Garden to sign it. sarc\
C..F..R
LOL
And GHWB's Arabist buddies James Baker III and Brent Scowcroft had a strong influence on Rice. Throw that mix of influences into the Arabist/Islamophile-infested Foggy Bottom and the results are predictable.
Had Israel forcibly removed every last Jordanian from the W. Bank immediately following the '67 war and sent them back across the Jordan River all this could've been avoided. Very shortsighted.
Bush was so right in the early days in making it clear that the terrorist, Arafat, had no part in the equation. I don't underswtand the change in view, unless the "Palestinians" have made some peace overture I have missed up to now.
Today’s news about President Bush’s comments is astonishingly uninformed and potentially very dangerous. Just fired off this message to his email address:
“Dear Honorable President George W. Bush,
Sir, I’ve voted for you twice as President and I am very disturbed by what you are currently attempting to do in Israel. It was reported today (1/10/2008) that you called “for the end of the ‘occupation’ of Arab land by the IDF” and that “a peace accord would require “painful political concessions by both sides.”
I am a born-again Christian and ordained minister and would like to share with you what the Holy Bible says about the land of Israel.
It is important to understand first of all what constitutes the land of Israel. These borders established by God in the royal land grant given to Abraham and his descendants (the Jewish people) extends from the Nile river to the Euphrates river west to east and from the NW portion of Saudi Arabia to Lebanon south to north (Genesis 15:18, Deut. 11:23-24). Israel is presently occupying only about 10% of the land that is rightfully theirs given by Almighty God.
So it is clear from the Bible that Israel is not presently occupying ANY Arab land whatsoever. To be truthful about it, the Arabs need to end the “occupation” of Israeli lands.
Pressuring Israel to give up more of their rightful land is anti-Biblical, puts you against Almighty God, does not work, and places America in greater danger. Surely know what happened after your administration pressured Israel pulled out of the Gaza strip two years ago. Israel should not give the Palestinians one inch of their land as this only brings about more violence and bloodshed. Most Palestinians have no interest in peace, they only want to see the nation of Israel and every Jew destroyed. The sick Palestinian culture brainwashes their children to hate Israelis and proclaim in their schools there is no such thing as Israel. They desperately need to turn to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Please for God’s sake STOP pressuring Israel to give up more land to the Palestinians. If you want to help bring about a Palestinian state, you should put some pressure on some other Arab countries to carve out a portion of land, but NOT Israel. May God bless you and give you wisdom to make the decisions He would have you to make.
Sincerely and respectfully . . .”
Adios Israel! You are now officially toast as per Bush. Incredible news!
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