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Peace Process

US-led international pressure to increase


By Jerusalem Newswire Editorial Staff
April 18, 2005

Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria will lead to increased international pressure, led by Washington, for the Jewish state to enter final status negotiations with the PLO, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom warned Monday.

Arutz 7 reported a day earlier that evidence is mounting of a concerted US effort to take the process of birthing a Palestinian Arab state beyond the “point of no return” before anti-Jewish terrorists have a chance to ruin President George W. Bush’s vision.

In his live interview with Israel Radio, Shalom said now is the time for the Likud to clearly state its positions on final status issues.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon originally presented his “disengagement” plan as a means of stalling the world’s reckless sprint to establish “Palestine” on ancient Jewish lands.

Palestinian Authority Deputy Prime Minister Nabil Sha’ath indicated Sunday the PA would be playing heavily to Bush’s desire to conclude a final Israeli-Arab peace agreement prior to the end of his second term.

Sha’ath stated that Israel’s Gaza pullout must be implemented as part of the US-backed Road Map, and should constitute the beginning of a full withdrawal to the pre-1967 borders.

Gearing up for the post-disengagement period, Sha’ath said the PA insisted that any subsequent discussion on Israeli settlements be based on the premise of completely ending the so-called “occupation”.

“We will not accept anything about annexing settlement blocs,” Sha’ath maintained.

Sharon, meanwhile, persisted in telling Israelis he had secured Bush’s firm commitment to back Israel’s continued sovereignty over large Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria as part of any final status agreement.

“President Bush reiterated his commitment to the US position that in any future permanent settlement, all the major settlement blocs would remain part of the State of Israel,” read a transcript of Sharon’s briefing during Sunday’s cabinet meeting on his recent visit to the US.

Vice Premier Shimon Peres last week pointed out that Bush has never defined what constitutes a “major settlement bloc”, and that in all likelihood, the president was not speaking of anything outside of Jerusalem, IMRA reported.

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