JERUSALEM, June 25 (Reuters) - Israeli newspapers on Tuesday
called U.S. President George W. Bush's Middle East policy speech
calling for Palestinians to ditch Yasser Arafat a victory for
the Jewish state.
"Bush tells Palestinians: If you want a state get rid of
Arafat," proclaimed the headline of the Ma'ariv newspaper. The
other mass daily, Yedioth Ahronoth, quoted officials in Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon's office as being pleased with the speech.
Bush called on Palestinians to pick new leaders "not
compromised by terror" to attain a state alongside Israel.
He also said Israel must do its part for peace by halting
settlement building on the West Bank and Gaza Strip, land
Palestinians want for their independent state.
"Bush adopted the Israeli position, with a call to replace
the Palestinian leadership as the first principle of his
regional policy," Ha'aretz newspaper said in a commentary on the
speech.
"Bush wholly accepted the Israeli interpretation for the
conflict, levelling harsh criticism at the Palestinian
Authority, that rejected (Israel's) offered hand and trafficked
with terrorists," the newspaper wrote.
Bush's speech was an attempt by the United States to end
almost 21 months of violence since a Palestinian uprising
against Israeli occupation began in September 2000 after
negotiations for a final peace treaty stalled.
A senior Palestinian official rejected the call for a
Palestinian state without Arafat, saying the Palestinian
Authority president was democratically elected and could not be
ousted by foreign fiat.
But a Palestinian Authority statement called Bush's address
"a serious contribution" toward peace and requested more
details.
25 JUN 2002 05:19:03 Israeli press call Bush speech victory for Israel
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