Sharon to reiterate support for Palestinian state

[Gimel]

In his much-awaited "Herzliya Speech" this Thursday, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will emphasize Israel's commitment to the Road Map plan for an agreement with the Palestinians. He will also reiterate support for a contiguous Palestinian state, which he had articulated at the Aqaba summit.

Sharon will also state that, should it turn out to be impossible to make progress with the Road Map, Israel will consider implementing unilateral steps designed to reduce tensions between Jews and Arabs.

As Sharon sees it, these unilateral steps would create a maximum amount of security for Israel throughout an interim period that would last until circumstances appropriate for the resumption of talks with the Palestinian Authority materialize....
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/371814.html

Is Sharon all that bad now? He wants peace after all.

[LeftCoast]

1. As they say..."Talk is cheap"

And as Sharon says "Deeds, not words"

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. The Likkud has given up on the

greater Israel dream. tne NYT had a story on this precisely this
morming. His Foreign Affairs secretary had an extensive interview last
week to the Israeli press

This has been cookng for about three months... they are realzing that what they are doing, ain't working no more

They will have to give up land, probably more than they expected, and even some of Jerusalem

[corporatewhore]

3. The various generous offers given to the Palestinians

United Nations "Partition Plan" to the Palestinians:
You are going to have 47% of the 100% which was originally yours.
"Oslo Agreement" to the Palestinians:
You are going to have 22% of the 100% which was originally yours.
Barak's "Generous Offer" to the Palestinians:
We are going to give you 80% of 22% of 100% of the land which was originally yours.
Sharon's "Peace Plan" to the Palestinians in 2000:
We are going to give you 42% of 80% of 22% of 100% of the land which was originally yours, and this 42% will remain under continuous curfew.
"American Zionists" to the Palestinians:
According to our version of the Bible you are entitled to 0% of 42% of 80% of 22% of 100% of the land which was originally yours.
The "Road Map" to the Palestinians that Bush envisions:
* If you stop your resistance to the occupation (which we call terrorism), and
* your refugees give up their right of return to their ancestral homes, and
* you agree to only elect officials acceptable to Bush and Sharon, and
* you agree to lock up all your resistance fighters, and
* you agree to drive your cars only on roads that Sharon assigns for your use, and
* you do not object to the 'wall' that Sharon is building, and
* you agree not to claim Jerusalem as your capital, and
* you agree that your children's school curriculum only includes courses and books approved by the Israeli government, and
* you agree not to give birth to more than three children per family,
then Sharon might consider negotiating with you on the 42% of 80% of 22% of 100% of the land which was originally yours.

[mmm]

6. good post!

[corporatewhore]

8. Reminds me of all the "peace"plans

the us brokered with the native americans.

[sushi]

12. Great post!

:-)

[number6]

18. good post,....corporatewhore

:yourock::yourock::yourock:

[Aidoneus]

4. "Is Sharon all that bad now? He wants peace after all."

:wow:

[mmm]

5. Sharon is a bastard, guaranteed!

As always, he talks smack as the pogrom continues,
and the settlements expand.
Who you trying to fool?

[Gimel]

13. Actions are needed

This is not only Sharon's analysis, it's the general consensus in Israel. The wall is heoping to stop terror. In the vacuum it creates, we must move towards a settlement.

[Maple]

7. Oh yeah

Sharon is positively the poster boy for peace.

We can show him with a dove and everything. :eyes:

[corporatewhore]

9. poster boy sharon

http://filipe.linefeed.org/gallery/view_photo.php?set_albumName=latuff&id=normal_sharon4

[Maple]

10. Ack!

You could have warned me! :D

[Violet_Crumble]

11. Bush also claims he wants peace...

So does little Johnny Howard. So do a whole slew of conservative hardliners when it comes to various conflicts. But as we all know that these folk are handy with throwing the *P* word around even though their actions well and truly are anything but peaceful, none of us fall for that stuff, do we? Not me, though! I may have started out that way, but I'm now convinced that those sort of Men'O'Peace (Sharon has a lifetime membership due to things like Qibya and Lebanon) all deserve Peace Prizes so's they can plaster their Peace Fences and Peace Missiles with the articles about the penultimate acknowledgement of their Peaceful intentions. Sharon wants peace? Y'know after being informed of that, I almost wish I lived in Israel so I could vote for him next election ;)

One thing I did notice about the article is that it said that the US was uncomfortable with Israel using unilateral measures. How hypocritical is that, hey? One of the problems with the US resorting to unilateral measures when it wants to is that other states will then follow it's lead and point out that if the US can resort to unilateralism, so can they. And they've got a point, too...

Violet...

[tinnypriv]

14. Okay, lets see whether these facts make it into 0.00000001% of coverage:

Some basic, officially affirmed facts (putting aside whether the 'Roadmap' is fantastic, crap, or anything in-between):

1. The US plan is the Roadmap.
2. Israel has rejected¹ the Roadmap.

Now, the sake of argument (and putting aside 2, above) we'll say that Israel has accepted the Roadmap. Israel therefore is committed and required to issue an:

"Unequivocal statement affirming its commitment to the two-state vision of an independent, viable, sovereign Palestinian state"

(emphases added, 'Phase 1', Text of Roadmap, State.gov)

Sharon is apparently planning to issue a statement supporting a "contiguous Palestinian state", which is of course irrelevant.

So, Sharon is violating the Roadmap and official US policy by refusing to issue the required statement.

See if that makes it onto p1 of the NYT.

-----

1. Israel has rejected the Roadmap in the sense that the Roadmap is the totality of the text produced by Washington. Israel has only 'accepted' it with the proviso that over a dozen amendments are added. Since those 'amendments' alter the text, Israel cannot be said to have accepted it. The accuracy of this point is acknowledged by Israeli officials on the rare occasions that it is put to them. Usually the subject doesn't arise, for obvious reasons.

[Gimel]

15. Stay tuned eom

[tinnypriv]

16. Yes, I'm aware the GOI is currently engaged in a "big announcement!"

Media campaign. Fact is, that is BS.

I'll return you to this post on Thursday if you like.

[Gimel]

19. Not the media events

To events on the ground. Announcing future plans is only the beginning. To act without announcing would be the height of foolishness. To prepare the way is necessary.

The way of the PLO is not the way of the GOI.

[tinnypriv]

22. Oh, you mean this sort of thing?

http://images.maariv.co.il/cache/ART608847.html

* Evacuating all settlements in the Gaza Strip
* Evacuating isolated settlements in Judea and Samaria

"However (we look at it), Jews will not be in the Gaza Strip for long" - Sharon, quoted.

"Sharon is meeting with both left and right before he delivers his speech ... (is) meeting Lapid, Liberman..." etc

"Sharon is expected to give talks with Abu-Ala a further 6 months - a "grace period", and if deadlock is then reached: unilateral steps"

"Sharon will say that Israel has not given up on the implementation of the 'Roadmap', in co-ordination with the Americans"

"Sharon will say the separation fence will continue"

[tinnypriv]

23. Weird, is it even 0.000000000001%? I may have been too generous

This:

"We have no interest in ruling you. We want you to run your own lives in your own country, a democratic Palestinian state, a territorially contiguous state in Judea and Samaria, a country with an functioning economy that has normal ties with the State of Israel" (Sharon)

Doesn't sound like an:

"Unequivocal statement affirming its commitment to the two-state vision of an independent, viable, sovereign Palestinian state"

Does it? He couldn't even bring himself to say "West Bank"!

Funny how some can focus laser-like on the words of Arafat, whilst simultaneously ignoring the fact that Sharon is brazenly violating this committment in the 'Roadmap', and hence official US policy.

And this is just a rhetorical point, hence the easiest committment Sharon has to carry out. This isn't like arresting Hamas or something, all he has to do is say the words "viable, sovereign, independent Palestinian state". He doesn't even have to mean it! :crazy:

Oh, and bear in mind this is the only remotely serious committment in the 'Roadmap', because it is not tied in some way to the actions of the Palestinians, as I noted eight months ago.

All this was obvious then, and remains so.

[sushi]

17. You ask

"Is Sharon all that bad now?"

Let's wait until he announces his kind of peace.

[Jack Rabbit]

20. Is Sharon all that bad now?

Sharon has spent a lifetime committed to the vision of a Greater Israel at the expense of Palestinian rights. He has supported for many years the construction of communities on Palestinian land where Palestinians cannot live, accessed by roads on which Palestinians cannot travel, all in violation of international law. He has shown that he is willing to spill buckets of blood in pursuit of this vision.

Given the Sharon's track record, I'm sceptical. I'll wait for the speech and see what actions follow.

[bluesoul]

21. "Is Sharon all that bad now"

must be a joke. Is Arafat all that bad now would be following the same logic. Apparently war criminals are ok if they're of the right nationality...