Bush Letter Raises Mideast Peace Debate

[maddezmom]

Source: Washington Post

Bush Letter Raises Mideast Peace Debate
Recollections Differ On Settlements Issue

A letter that President Bush personally delivered to then-Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon four years ago has emerged as a significant obstacle to the president's efforts to forge a peace deal between the Israelis and Palestinians during his last year in office.

Ehud Olmert, the current Israeli prime minister, said this week that Bush's letter gave the Jewish state permission to expand the West Bank settlements that it hopes to retain in a final peace deal, even though Bush's peace plan officially calls for a freeze of Israeli settlements across Palestinian territories on the West Bank. In an interview this week, Sharon's chief of staff, Dov Weissglas, said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reaffirmed this understanding in a secret agreement reached between Israel and the United States in the spring of 2005, just before Israel withdrew from Gaza.

U.S. officials say no such agreement exists, and in recent months Rice has publicly criticized even settlement expansion on the outskirts of Jerusalem, which Israel does not officially count as settlements. But as peace negotiations have stepped up in recent months, so has the pace of settlement construction, infuriating Palestinian officials, and Washington has taken no punitive action against Israel for its settlement efforts.

Israeli officials say they have clear guidance from Bush administration officials to continue building settlements, as long as it meets carefully negotiated criteria, even though those understandings appear to contradict U.S. policy.

Many experts say new settlement construction undermines the political standing of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas -- who is to meet with Bush today at the White House -- and adds to Palestinian cynicism about the peace process. Palestinians view the settlements as an Israeli effort to claim Palestinian lands, and in a meeting yesterday with Rice, Abbas said settlement construction was "one of the greatest obstacles" to a peace deal.



Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/23/AR2008042303128.html

[Frank Cannon]

1. Well, first of all, if it's a letter, we can assume he didn't write it

Unless it was written on Big Chief Tablet paper with a fat pencil.

So they should probably just ignore it.

[madeline_con]

2. puh leeze

"A letter that President Bush personally delivered..."

But did not write, due to his illiteracy.

"... emerged as a significant obstacle to the president's efforts to forge a peace deal..."

Much like everything else he's ever done.

"Bush's letter gave the Jewish state permission ..."

Like if he said, "Don't do it," they'd listen.

"Bush's peace plan officially calls for a freeze of Israeli settlements across Palestinian territories on the West Bank..."

Same shit, different day.

"But as peace negotiations have stepped up in recent months..."

Ditto

"... so has the pace of settlement construction..."

And the beat goes on.

"Palestinian cynicism about the peace process."

A widespread phenomenon.

"Palestinians view the settlements as an Israeli effort to claim Palestinian lands..."

And rightly so.

"...in a meeting yesterday with Rice..."

Not a very productive way to spend an afternoon.


Keep trying to clean up that legacy, DUH-bya.

[TheCowsCameHome]

3. Did he drive an official post office Jeep?

[nichomachus]

4. No -- it was an airmail

[DogPoundPup]

5. The Mailboy Decider In Chief ...that is funny!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[DogPoundPup]

6. Geez, I've been hammered before by the monitors for changing story titles

The WaPo story title is 'Israelis Claim Secret Agreement With U.S.'

But you got to use your own? Why does that work OK for the monitor? Hmmm?

[ladywnch]

7. of course chucklenuts and company are sending mixed messages

because the longer they can keep the middle east stirred up and unstable the better for their oil interests and for promoting their 'war on terror'. you gotta keep boogie men alive to keep people afraid. This also explains why they didn't want Carter going to negotiate with anyone.....he'll mess up their plans by creating peace......the Bastard!

[Supersedeas]

8. so the Condi's orchestrated photo-ops were just photo-ops--will the Media follow-up?