“The current government won’t make it to the next elections (scheduled for 2006)," predicts U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Kurtzer. "If the government does fall it will have repercussions on the future of the peace process. Terror attacks will surely resume, as terror organizations try to influence the election results."
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Thousands of residential units to be built; new construction to interfere with contiguity of future Palestinian state |
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Kurtzer made the remarks during a closed-door meeting with foreign ministry cadets last week, Yedioth Aharonoth reports Friday. In decidedly undiplomatic language, the American ambassador rejected Ariel Sharon’s claim of an “understanding” with U.S. President George W. Bush that large settlement blocs in the West Bank will remain under Israeli sovereignty under any final status agreement with the Palestinians.
The claim is based on the president’s letter to Sharon last year, in which Bush says current realities in the West Bank precludes a complete Israeli return to pre-1967 borders.
Don't you understand?
Kurtzer pinned the misunderstanding on Israeli officials who fail to understand the nuances of the English language.
“Sometimes, an American will end a conversation with the words ‘I understand’, and an Israeli will mistakenly take that as an formal Declaration of Understanding.
“But I can assure you that no such understandings were reached. I have discussed the matter with Washington, and I have received full support on this matter.”
Kurtzer also said Israel makes “mistakes in the American diplomatic arena:
Israelis have a tendency to go over and over the same issues, time after time. For instance, at the beginning of every meeting the Israelis repeat the mantra “Jerusalem, the eternal undivided capital of Israel.”
But he said that, despite the fact that “America is paying a steep price for defending Israel in international forums,” Kurtzer confirmed, “but it is a price the United States is prepared to pay.”
Patience with Iran not “unlimited”
Referring to Iran’s nuclear program, Kurtzer hinted that the United States would not wait forever for the Europeans to come to an agreement with Tehran, and would not dismiss the possibility of an American strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.
“Iran had better get the message,” he said. “The missiles haven’t yet been fired, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be if the Iranians don’t stop their attempt to develop nuclear weapons.”
Kurtzer: reports untrue
Hours after the storys publication, Ambassador Kurtzer denied the reports, saying the report was “full of errors and misrepresentations.” He added that he never called into question last year's understandings between Sharon and Bush, and emphasized that “it is unrealistic to expect that the outcome of negotiations will be a full and complete return to the 1967 lines.”
He said “it is regrettable that this inaccurate story has created doubt about strong U.S. support of Prime Minister Sharon.”
But Yedioth Aharonoth political affairs correspondent Shimon Shipper told Ynetnews the quotes were taken from an official Foreign Ministry transcript, prepared by a senior ministry official.
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