U.S. envoy: Israel must freeze settlements, dismantle outposts

[Violet_Crumble]

JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon should dismantle settlement outposts and freeze building in other Jewish settlements in keeping with commitments he gave the United States, the U.S. ambassador to Israel said Tuesday.

Daniel Kurtzer's comments were a rare public criticism of Sharon, who has enjoyed strong U.S. support in his three year campaign to crack down on Palestinian militants and isolate Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.

Kurtzer told Army Radio that Sharon and one of his close advisers had promised U.S. President George Bush and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice to remove scores of unauthorized settlement outposts that dot hilltops throughout the West Bank. Sharon also discussed freezing new building in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, he said.

Palestinians view the West Bank settlements as encroachment on land they claim for a future state.

Kurtzer said that the United States wanted to see Sharon's commitments honored.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/442032.html

[Rhiannon12866]

1. I thought that Sharon agreed to evacuate Gaza and much of the

West Bank of settlements. But I also understood that his Likud Party disagreed with him on this. I have been away for awhile, but I can't imagine that this has changed, since this opposition has been in place since the supposed opposition, by those same parties, to "the Road Map." Is there any hope, given that the hard-liners are calling the shots?:shrug:

[Violet_Crumble]

2. Welcome back, Rhiannon...

I'm really enjoying yr posts. I hope you hang around for a while :)

This one's about the commitments Sharon gave to the US, which involved the dismantling of the mega-illegal settlements that aren't even authorised by Israel. A freeze on new building in illegal settlements (they're the ones that Israel authorise, even though they're still as illegal as the others) seems to be an issue too....

Sharon hasn't agreed to dismantle most West Bank settlements. Only four smallish settlements are supposed to end up being dismantled, and the disengagement plan attempts to give legitimacy to the remaining settlements....

Violet...

[Rhiannon12866]

4. Thank you for the welcome back, Violet

I have had limited access to the computer for personal reasons and have missed DU more than I can say.

I know that Sharon has agreed to dismantle settlements and pull out of Gaza, but this is not enough. He needs to dismantle all illegal settlements, which they are, on both Gaza and the West Bank. But the hard-liners who back him oppose this. So how can he make any promises at all? They even oppose the "Road Map," so no wonder it is in shambles. Israel needs to choose a new government, pure and simple. The one that they have, with their preemptive decisions, isn't keeping them safe just like we, in the US, are made less safe by the preemptive decisions made by the Bush* administration. I think that we both need regime change at home, to keep all of us much safer.

[tinnypriv]

5. Sharon agreed

To:

1. Evacuate 100% of Gaza settlements (Phili corridor excluded)
2. Evacuate 0.4% of WB settlements.

That is pretty much evacuating Gaza, but it is not evacuating "much of the West Bank". Not even close in fact, which is of course the crucial thing prolonging the conflict.

[Rhiannon12866]

9. So when is he going to implement either?

Talk is cheap and promises are easy to come by. As for evacuating the West Bank, he needs to take this thing seriously. Innocent people continue to die everyday in both of these hotspots.

[Darranar]

3. Um... wasn't he supposed to do that a year ago?

Any settlements frozen yet? Any outposts removed?

[tinnypriv]

6. Yeah

One was removed before he headed to the states.

Incidentially, that was called a "photogenic evacuation" to "impress the Americans", by Ma'ariv (in the Hebrew only I think).

[Darranar]

7. Wasn't that one rebuilt a week afterward? n/t

[tinnypriv]

8. Yes

About 500 metres away.