Sharon stakes claim to key settlements

[Englander]

16 February 2005

Ariel Sharon has reaffirmed that Israel plans to hold onto the most populous settlement blocs in the West Bank under any final agreement with Palestinians.

In his first declaration on the shape of any "final status" deal since Mahmoud Abbas took office as Palestinian leader, the Israeli Prime Minister made it clear he was holding President Bush to the concessions he secured from him last April. Those would include the redrawing of the 1967 borders to include the biggest settlement blocs.

Mr Sharon was his clearest yet saying he wanted co-ordination with the Palestinian Authority on its plans to withdraw 7,500 settlers from Gaza in the summer. "Disengagement from Gaza will be co-ordinated with the Palestinians," he said

Mr Sharon vowed that he would not be deflected from the Gaza disengagement plan by a spate of extreme right wing death threats against ministers including himself. "In my entire life, I have never surrendered to threats and I have no intention of starting now," he said.


More at;
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=611463

[radwriter0555]

1. Getting down to crunch time on building those resort condos, is it? After

all, what's a little blood and human suffering for some primo beajc front resorts? HEY! Gaza can be the DISNEYLAND of ISRAEL!

[Gyre]

2. We all knew they weren't going to remove them

Typical bait and switch. The chimp learned some of his most loathsome moves from Sharon (he couldn't imagine getting away with it before Arial S. perfected it). Commit armed robbery/rape, then make nice, then go psychopath again is classic modern Israeli. So unhuman that your opponent is constantly playing defense even when unnecessary.

Can't imagine this helps Abu Mazzen much.

Gyre

[MuzioGambit]

4. One night in Bangkok

1. There is no bait and switch here. Sharon reiterated his bold move to disengage from Gaza and even wants to involve the PLO

2. Sharon is talking about the settlements in the West Bank, not Gaza. Anyone who has studied the peace talks realizes that there will be some territorial shifting with Israel receiving about 2.5%-10% of the West Bank... which is understood in UNSCR 242.

3. While Sharon is by no means a saint (neither is Mazen, but I like him regardless), please don't compare him to Bush.

[egbtpl]

3. Oh

I thought Sharon wanted a cease-fire. Silly me. I guess not!

[yinkaafrica]

5. sharon takes with one hand and... pillages with the other

a more evil man has never walked the earth