Abbas: Israeli policy boosting my foes
PA chairman accuses Israel of strengthening his opponents by isolating Gaza, expanding settlements. Israel cannot resolve conflict unilaterally, Abbas says
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel on Thursday of strengthening armed foes who reject his peace agenda by continuing to isolate Gaza after its pullout and expand Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
In a Wall Street Journal article published hours before White House talks with U.S. President George W. Bush, Abbas said he had done his part to pave the way to peacemaking by starting security reforms and generally maintaining a truce by terrorists.
“Unfortunately, Palestinians cannot pursue the Road Map alone,” he wrote, referring to the U.S.-devised peace plan calling for Palestinian statehood in Gaza and the West Bank beside a secure Israel.
'Israel expanding settlements'
“Israel has created obstacles in the face of a full and unconditional return to the negotiating table and acted as if Israel can resolve the Middle East conflict unilaterally.”
Abbas said that even though Israel completed a withdrawal of settlers and soldiers from Gaza last month after 38 years of occupation, the Jewish state was keeping the territory sealed off by land, sea and air from the outside world.
He said much larger Israeli settlements were growing at an accelerated pace in the West Bank, “The Palestinian heartland”, And Israel was also continuing to build a barrier in the occupied territory deemed illegal by the World Court
