U.S. Has Problem with Israeli Wall, Bush Says

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&ncid=716&e=13&u=/nm/20030725/ts_nm/mideast_usa_dc

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush (news - web sites), with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas at his side, on Friday called Israel's security fence in the West Bank a problem that would hamper efforts to build trust.

But Bush was loathe to be too critical of Israel, saying he did not endorse a blanket release of Palestinian political prisoners as demanded by Abbas and that Abbas must crack down on Palestinian militants to help Middle East peace efforts.

Bush spoke at a joint news conference during Abbas' first White House visit. He will be followed next Tuesday by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites).

Abbas, who has said his government could fall without further Israeli confidence-building gestures, was adamant that Israel do more. He dismissed Israel's pledge on Friday to pull back from two West Bank cities and remove several main roadblocks, steps that Bush welcomed.

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[Resistance]

1. Wow so how will Bush punish them?

Give them billions more in taxpayer money? Maybe send a new fleet of fighter jets to drop bombs on Palestinian homes? Or maybe new bulldozers to murder Americans with?

[Wonder]

14. with LIP SERVICE like he always punishes them!

this is telling

"Saeb Erekat, a Palestinian legislator, said from the region that Abbas had asked Bush for a comprehensive plan to implement the road map but Bush seemed to favor going step-by-step."

Why? Just like there is no comprehensive Israeli Reparation Plan, There is NO comprehensive road map. Facts on the ground and step-by-step is the strategy at play here.

I know no one asked me? At this stage of the game release of political prisonser is important as Israel may be holding those that could be more instrumental than either Abbas or Arafat in their negotiating strategies. For instance why do they not hold their own press conferences. Who is stopping them? Abbas is the Leader he should do press conferences: So that he might speak about the Palestinian Cause which tends to get lost in all of this. It would help him begin to get his agenda publicised rather than relying on the American and Israeli presses to pull whichever quotes they feel like.

Furthermore, he needs to place more emphasis on

2-create his own succinct list of contingencies

3-insist Israel presents him by an indicated date the following:

Comprehensive Reparation Plan
Comprehensive Desettlement Plan

4-He needs to present the US with a comprehensive damage assessments, in an effort to get renewal cost compensations.

4-a comprehensive Palestinian plan for neutralizing the militants on Abbas terms. What assistance is needed to achieve his goals within the PA, as well as perhaps outside assistance on his terms within his own vision.

We here all this rhetoric from the US PNACers and Bush regarding Israel Causes and their Security. Where is the mainstream rhetoric specific to CAUSE OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE. Abbas is responsible for this cause. Is he not familiar with it.

At present Abbas is being led by the nose. The cease-fire terms end in a month and NOTHING HAS MOVED FORWARD. Sharon is dragging his feet unchallenged and the US is throwing more money at a problem for which no real solution has been sincerely thought through.

[aquart]

20. Reparation? Reparation?

I'm game. How would you pay off people who blow up a bus?

[Wonder]

28. get real I am not speaking of the terrorist tactics

that makes up a minority. You believe otherwise it is time for you to take a big step away and see if you can really observe this conflict at a distance. The majority are innocence.

[aquart]

21. Bulldozers go HOW fast?

Just a question. At top speed, what does a bulldozer do?

[JNelson6563]

2. this ought to piss off his

fundie support. haha I love it. Rock and a hard place....right where the Simian belongs. Now to squeeze rock and hard place closer and closer together........

Julie

[Julien Sorel]

11. It's funny for everyone except the Palestinians. There are still

human beings involved, here.

[JNelson6563]

25. Amen! And the sooner

this is addressed the better. It's obvious the Simian's felt the pressure to deal with the I/P conflict and he can't very well come right out and show his true fundy colors so he has to speak sense on the matter in spite of his feelings on the matter. This is a good thing for the Palestinians IMO.

Sharon is so blatant Bush is forced to speak out.....he has to be seen as having some constructive project after this Iraq debacle and they seem to have aimed high; their road map for peace. This puts them in the uncomfotable position of having to call Sharon on his behavior, especially since the Palestinians have got a new PM--as required by Team Bush.

Julie

[catmandu57]

3. chimp* thinks the wall

is being built on the "east bank". Its on the transcript.

[papau]

10. Bush "East Bank Wall bad" means West Bank Wall OK

And as crazy as that sounds - I agree.

The Wall on the West end of the West bank is the only way the next 20 years will see even a small level of security for Israel - and the wall on the east side of the west bank is mean, vindictive, and with no sections yet built.

He is not good at using English - but the idea was reasonable.

I was surprised Abbas did not object to the "left handed" endorsement of the wall of the east side of the West Bank - although it is indeed going along the line agreed/suggested at TABA (it is taking more PA land than the 3.+ % suggested by the PA, and parts if built will exceed the 6% Barak wanted - but I think those parts will never be built and we will end up close to the 6 of Barak with a give back of some land adjacent to Gaza to net it below 5%).

This may work out to be Taba done in steps.

[newyorican]

13. the only "ok" wall

is one built on your own property. All else is not ok by any stretch.

[sujan]

4. yap yap yap yap moron

You wont do a thing about it or rather, you can't.

[Dover]

5. Jews erecting a WALL? Hmmm....deja vu. Is Israel now Berlin?....n/t

..

[Jim Sagle]

6. This wall is to keep terrorists OUT, not to keep citizens IN.

Other than that, no difference. :puke:

[The Stranger]

8. Wrong. It's to KEEP THE LAND.

Occupation is terrorism.

[Poll_Blind]

15. It's not stolen, it's PROMISED! God promised me YOUR land! GET OUT!

Don't you see the divine plan? You don't? Keep looking...

PB

[NickDanger]

31. It's always been about a land grab

eom

[instantkarma]

9. right. It's not like Berlin

It reeks to me more of Warsaw.

[moondust]

16. I think it's a last resort.

Nothing else has worked to stop suicide bombings for any length of time. Israelis are obviously not all planning to leave their country to meet Hamas' single-minded demands.

In this case good fences are likely to make better neighbors (who are no longer killing each other).

[aquart]

22. Israel is now desperate

Desperate to see children who go off to school come back from school alive.

Desperate to see mothers return from marketing with both arms and legs.

Desperate to live two minutes without fearing the person approaching is about to explode and shatter their hearts.

But I'm sure you have a much better solution. It consists of rewarding murderers for murder, do I have that right?

[Julien Sorel]

23. Another 'poor Israel' post.

But I'm sure you have a much better solution. It consists of rewarding murderers for murder, do I have that right?

It consists of leaving Palestinian land, staying behind their own borders, and being the good neighbors they keep pretending to be. 'Rewarding terrorism' is a red herring. If the goal is peace, which Israel claims it wants, then it should behave peacefully. The settlements and the land grabbing precipitated terrorism, not vice versa.

[Malikshah]

24. And to add to the precipitation issue

During the Mandatory period, Arab markets were bombed...terrorist activities were perpetrated on Palestinians and the British Mandatory forces
Prior to the "official start" of the 1948 war, Plan D was already implemented by Ben-Gurion and Co.--an offensive against the Arab villages etc.

The myths of victimhood in the hands of one people alone are dangerous to all in terms of a lasting security.

Both sides need to own up to their histories before we can move forward.

[drscm]

7. Someone besides Halliburton got the contract to build it.

No wonder he is pissed off.

[Wonder]

12. Give me a break: Bush needed Abbas to tell him????

"Like WOW Abbas by George you know I think your right," says Bush as if he has a fucking clue. (pardon my crudeness).

[Herschel]

17. The wall has merit

It provides security for Israel. It tells the Palestinians there is a deep price for terrorism. A wall at the Green Line would embolden the terrorists, encouraging more terror.

[Malikshah]

18. If they're looking for the price ... well

Gee, if they just look at who the Israelis elected as Prime Ministers in the past, it would tell them that terrorists can make it big in the world.

Begin and Shamir were both wanted by the Brits for acts during the Mandatory period.

The Palestinians have been paying the price for terrorism along with the Israelis. Both sides need to own up to the fact that violence does not solve the problems--nor do walls. Unless this and later administrations realize that no one people has a monopoly on morality or victimhood in this situation--it will continue.

[bloom]

19. well said

...

[Aaron]

27. O/T but what is your connection to progressive goals?

Are you a Dem./Green/Socialist/Independent? You a USA voter? Just curious :)

[Voltaire99]

26. What's his beef?

That Haliburton isn't building it?

[Alfalfa T. Coleridge]

29. The Problem is, Halliburton didn't get the construction contract

Cheney has been in a snit since Israel awarded the Wall contract to Israeli Jewish contractors instead of Halliburton. In a gesture of contrition, Sharon offered Halliburton a piece of the action for the proposed Six-Six-Six Flags Over Jerusalem theme park, planned to open in 2007.

ATC

[skip fox]

30. Ah . . . a light-hearted moment on the Roadmap to Peace!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=45801&mesg_id=45801&page=

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