US eager to see more outposts go

US pressure on Israel moved from the prisoner issue to the settlement outposts during a meeting Wednesday between US Ambassador Dan Kurtzer and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz.

According to Israeli officials, Kurtzer told Mofaz the US wants to see Israel move forward on dismantling additional settlement outposts.

Mofaz told Kurtzer that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will fulfill the commitments he made to US President George W. Bush to remove unauthorized outposts.

According to Israeli officials, the prisoner release issue does not appear in the road map, and as a result is more of an issue for the Palestinians than the Americans. Nevertheless, Kurtzer did raise the issue.

In the last few days the US has made it clear to Israel that they expect it to be forthcoming on the prisoners in order to boost Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas in the eyes of his public and give him badly needed legitimacy.

Dismantling settlement outposts, on the other hand, is something that is spelled out in the road map, and is an issue the Americans want to see more action on.

The US has recently expressed concern that while Sharon has dismantled a handful of outposts since the Aqaba summit, more than that number have already replaced them.

Kurtzer, according to Israeli officials urged Mofaz not to let the current diplomatic momentum fail, and do everything to ensure that the process doesn't break down.

Mofaz told Kurtzer that at his scheduled meeting Thursday with PA State Minister for Security Muhammad Dahlan, he will have questions about Monday night's suicide bombing at Kfar Yavetz.

The meeting will be within the framework of the joint Israeli-Palestinian security committee, which is chaired by both men.

At meetings in the Defense Ministry Wednesday, Mofaz said that even if it appears that the process has moved backward in the last few days, patience is needed. He said that the next few weeks will be crucial in determining the future of the present process.

Mofaz also reportedly said that at this time Israel has no immediate plans to hand over security control of additional cities to the PA, and is watching to see how the PA consolidates and exerts control of the areas where the IDF recently withdrew - the Gaza Strip and Bethlehem.

In a related development, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom is slated to travel to Italy today for three days of meetings with Italian officials. Italy took over the rotating presidency of the EU on July 1.

Shalom is slated to meet Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, and leading parliamentarians.

In addition to discussing the diplomatic process, Shalom is expected to focus on Israel's relations with the EU under the Italian presidency.

Of course it will boost his public support...Israel will be freeing terrorists they support!

Dismantling settlement outposts, on the other hand, is something that is spelled out in the road map, and is an issue the Americans want to see more action on.

I thought we wanted to see more action against terrorism. And doesn't the US know that the Arabs view Tel-Aviv and Haifa as "outposts" as well?

A Recall AND a Fundraiser? I'm toast.

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US pressure on Israel moved from the prisoner issue to the settlement outposts during a meeting Wednesday between US Ambassador Dan Kurtzer and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz.

According to Israeli officials, Kurtzer told Mofaz the US wants to see Israel move forward on dismantling additional settlement outposts.

Is it possible that history will show that the U.S. has been, in most situations, almost always Israel's worst enemy?

In my opinion the U.S. has almost as much Israeli blood on its hands as the present day and near past Palestinian leadership.

Is it possible that the powers that be and used to be in Washington are using Israel to advance our unGodly agendas under the guise of peace in our time?

Why oh why is it necessary for this country to be made to bow and scrape before the heathen of the world and force our only friends and supporters in the middle East, the Israelis, to lay down their precious lives so the hated and murderous extremist Islamicists can annihilate them?

They may be the only ones that stand between this nation's existence as a free people in a sovereign nation and total annnihilation.

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