U.S. President George W. Bush stirs criticism
Photo: Reuters
Bush's slip-up stirs crticism
White House spokesman rushes on Wednesday to debunk Bush’s call for Israel to withdraw from all Jewish settlements, which had contradicted commitments he made to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to boost his Gaza disengagement plan.
WASHINGTON - U.S. President George W. Bush’s comments on Tuesday, where he said Israel “must withdraw from the settlements” in order to allow “contiguous territory for a Palestinians state" were misunderstood, White House spokesman Scott McClellan says.
“Israel must withdraw from the settlements," Bush said during a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II. "There must be contiguous territory for a Palestinian state - into which a Palestinian state can grow. The Palestinians, on their part, must continue to work hard to fight any terrorist activities within the territories."
The president’s comments fueled anger at home and abroad at a time when tensions mount in Israel ahead of a crucial parliamentary budget vote that could potentially topple Sharon’s government and a planned disengagement from the Gaza Strip this summer.
McClellan rushed to clarify Bush’s comments, saying the president’s call was misinterpreted.
"What the president was referring to was the withdrawal plan that is being pursued by Prime Minister Sharon as well as the unauthorized outposts which the roadmap calls for Israel to remove," McClellan told reporters. “So that's what he was referring to, what our position is.”
Bush's letter of support
Bush had given the prime minister Sharon last April a letter of support and a green light for his plan to quit the coastal strip while retaining large settlements blocs in the West Bank on land Palestinians want for a state.
“In light of new realities on the ground, including already existing major Israeli population centers, it is unrealistic to expect that the outcome of final status negotiations will be a full and complete return to the armistice lines of 1949,” the president told a news conference in April.
Sharon’s plan to withdraw from Gaza has also recently fueled mass protests by settlers who have vowed to resist any form of disengagement. On Monday, a group of right-wing activists opposed to the plan blocked a major Israeli highway with a slew of burning tires.
The Gaza disengagement is expected to start in July and take about a month.
Bush and King Abdullah also expressed on Tuesday their support and optimism that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was capable of stopping Palestinian attacks against Israelis and work towards peace.
“I believe President Abbas is desirous of developing a state that will live side by side with Israel in peace,” Bush told reporters. “And we recognize that the Palestinians need help in consolidating security forces and training security forces to defeat the terrorists who would like to stop the march of freedom.”
Bush also raised concern over potential attacks by Hizbullah to try and sabotage the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and added: “We view Hizbullah as a terrorist organization. And I would hope that Hizbullah would prove that they're not by laying down arms and not threatening peace.”
