[antiwar-van] US Publicly Supports Illegal Israeli settlements

[hanna]

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/557265.html

Last Update: 27/03/2005 04:07

Sharon says U.S. still committed to understandings on blocs

By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Saturday that the American agreement on the
settlement blocs stands firm.

"There is nothing to worry about regarding the blocs. There was a very good
American statement and it is clear that the agreement between myself and
Bush stands firm," Sharon told Haaretz.

The American administration reiterated over the weekend the promises Bush
had given Sharon at their previous meeting in April 2004, which centered on
the recognition that the settlement blocs would remain in Israel's hands in
a future final status agreement with the Palestinians.

Speaking to Yaron Dekel on Israel Radio Sunday morning, Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice reiterated Bush's promises to Sharon and said the president
"strongly supports" the prime minister's disengagement plan.

"While we will not prejudice the outcome of final status negotiations, the
changes on the ground, the `existing major Israeli population centers' will
have to be taken in account in any final status negotiations," she said.

Rice went further than the vague phrasing of Bush's letter and made it clear
that the term "Israeli population centers" refers directly to the "large
settlement blocs."

Rice's statement was meant to calm the political and media storm that
erupted over the weekend, following a report in Yedioth Ahronoth that quoted
American ambassador Dan Kurtzer at a meeting with Foreign Ministry
diplomatic trainees where he reportedly denied that the large blocs would
remain part of Israel.

"We do not appreciate people trying to create confusion where there is no
confusion," Rice told Israel Radio. "I understand this is a big issue in
Israel but no one should say there's no agreement between our two
governments. That's wrong. There is; it was reached on April 14 last year
and it's clear."

Kurtzer hastened to deny the report, said it was inaccurate and telephoned
Sharon to clarify his statement.

Later in an interview to Udi Segal on Channel 2, Kurtzer said: "The
president's letter is clear and the commitment is solid. There are large
Israeli population centers and we recognize that they will be part of
Israel."

Sharon, who fumed at the leak, said it came from political rivals who
objected to the disengagement plan.

Sharon and Bush will discuss the continued construction in the settlement
blocs in the West Bank at a meeting Bush scheduled for two weeks's time at
the president's ranch in Texas. The Israelis are expecting Bush to clarify
the American position on this.

Israel wants the president's promise to correspond to the facts on the
ground even before the final status settlement, so that there is an
understanding that it can continue building in Ma'aleh Adumim, Ariel, Gush
Etzion and the area around Jerusalem.

Israel also wants a clear distinction between the settlement blocs in which
construction will be continued and the isolated ones.

One formula being considered is renewing the talks with the U.S. on freezing
construction in the settlements and demarcating the "limits" of each
settlement, beyond which construction would be forbidden.

The talks were halted a few months ago and senior diplomatic sources expect
them to be resumed only after the disengagement.