Bush warns Israel to tread carefully

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=469862

By Justin Huggler in Jerusalem
04 December 2003


The United States has privately told Israel of three "red lines" it must not cross in its dealing with the Palestinians and the wider Middle East, according to the Israeli press.

According to the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, the three red lines are: not to harm the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat; not to "shock the region"; and not to create "facts on the ground" that could jeopardise the Palestinian state promised in the US-backed "road-map" for peace.

If the reports are true, much less is being asked of Israel than in June, when the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, and his then Palestinian counterpart, Abu Mazen, agreed to the road-map.

But Israel has either crossed or come close to crossing all three red lines in recent months. In September, after a series of suicide bombings by Palestinian militants, the Israeli cabinet decided to expel Mr Arafat, only to back away from the decision. In October, Israel risked destabilising the region when it carried out an air strike on a disused Palestinian militant base in Syria.

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[eissa]

1. Yeah, I bet Sharon

is just shaking with fear. The Likud could not have dreamed of a more pro-Israel/anti-Arab regime than shrub's.

[Sagan]

2. oh, spare me.. here we go again..

I remember about a year ago there was about 3 weeks of headlines about * "warning" Israel about something or other. The Israelis always did the exact opposite of whatever Chimpy was "warning" them about.

He's impotent in so many ways....

[loudnclear]

3. How about: (1) open access to WMD inspections (2) returning Palestinian

land (3)stopping the occupation?

F**k the three red lines that mean absolutely nothing to anyone.

[Jim Sagle]

8. They sure don't mean shit to me.

[damnraddem]

4. Meanwhile, the Geneva plan is being talked about, and ...

Palestinian leaders are trying to get a no-bombing agreement from Hezbollah. So, what does Israel do, right on schedule? It raids Palestinian neighborhoods, kills Palestinians, bulldozes houses. Next, predictably, will come retaliatory bombings. Ain't it amazing how Sharon and Hezbollah can choreograph their anti-peace antics to derail anything hopeful?

[aquart]

5. Or he'll do what?

Go on, George, watcha gonna do? Stop Israeli funding? March on Jerusalem?

Pitiful helpless midget.

[DulceDecorum]

6. Hey aquart, just because

YOU can take on a pretzel and not come back with a black eye,
does not mean that everyone else can.
And you do NOT have to be a midget
to be a pitiful and helpless owner of a junky and drunken nose.

Furthermore,
it is MOST unfair to issue mental challenges to the mentally challenged.

:evilgrin:

[teryang]

7. Warnings for the gullible domestic audience

These gestures are meaningless.

[tabasco]

9. Bush warns Israel. Israel has a good belly laugh.

Before getting back to what they were doing.

[ConcernedCanuk]

10. Thanks to the USA and it's evil-doers - Israel has over 200 nukes

. . and is the ONLY power in the ME that has them.

. . so they will continue laughing at the USA's ""blustering"

and do what the feck they want to

USA is looking more impotent by the day

Just A Humble Canuk's Observations