Posted on 08/06/2003 11:50:22 AM PDT by yonif
U.S., Secretary of State Colin Powell says he is concerned that the security fence Israel is building could impede peacemaking with the Palestinians.
"A nation is within its rights to put up a fence if it sees the need for one," Powell said in a broadcast to Arab countries. However, he said, "In the case of the Israeli fence, we are concerned when the fence crosses over onto the land of others."
Powell's disapproval of Israeli security construction on the West Bank and his description of the territory as belonging to others could signal a toughening stance by the Bush administration as it tries to push both sides toward following a Bush-sponsored "road map" to settlement of decades of enmity.
Administration officials are considering a reduction in loan guarantees to Israel as a penalty for constructing the fence.
The potential punishment of Israel stirred a protest among members of Congress.
Sen. Joe Lieberman said "the administration's threat to cut aid to Israel unless it stops construction of a security fence is a heavy-handed tactic."
"It has no place in relations between allies," the presidential aspirant said in a statement. "The Israeli people have the right to defend themselves from terrorism, and a security fence may be necessary to achieve this," he said.
Sen. Charles E. Schumer urged President George W. Bush in a letter not to delay distribution of the loan guarantees, which were approved by Congress.
"By building a security fence in the West Bank, the Israeli government is pushing a reasonable defensive policy that respects the terms of the cease-fire currently in force and does no violence to the Palestinian people," Schumer said.
The senator said he worried "that a shift in emphasis by the White House on implementing provisions of the road map leaves Israel terribly vulnerable to terrorist attack."
"The fence has walls as part of the fence," Powell said, "and we hope we can find a way of discussing this problem so that the fence does not become a hindrance toward progress on the road map."
What land of others is Powell talking about?
Now if we could only get G W Bush to set up a BIG barrier between USA and Mexico.
yoni, that'd be the Palestinians, whom, I do believe, want all of the West Bank, Gaza--and oh, all of Israel.
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