Free Republic

Israel's plan to construct a new settlement on the West Bank drew rare criticism Wednesday from the Bush administration. If Israel goes ahead, it would violate Israel's obligations under the roadmap for peacemaking, a State Department spokesman said. ``The U.S. calls on Israel to meet its roadmap obligations and avoid taking steps that could be viewed as predetermining the outcome of future negotations,'' the spokesman, Gonzalo R. Gallegos, said. Israel agreed to the roadmap in 2003. It was devised by the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia in an effort to guide Israel and the Palestinians...

Nov. 16, 2003 Pope condemns security fence By JPOST.COM STAFF Pope John Paul II condemned Israel's security fence as a new obstacle to peace in the region. "The Holy Land needs bridges, not walls," the BBC reported him saying.