http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=59698<snip>
"Until three days ago, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was still unsuccessful in his bid for a White House reception at which he could propose his Gaza withdrawal plan. Dov Weisglas, head of the Prime Minister’s Bureau, was dispatched to Washington to try and secure this meeting. On Tuesday unofficial announcements hailing a tentative meeting between PM Sharon and US President George Bush were leaked to the press.
Today (Thursday) that meeting was cancelled, with no make-up date offered. Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom quickly boarded a flight to the U.S. to see if he could salvage the meeting, which seems to be PM Sharon’s sole strategic goal at this juncture. Various reasons were offered explaining Washington’s unwillingness to take part in the meeting and endorsement of a Gaza withdrawal.
President Bush has reportedly noted the growing opposition in Israel to Sharon’s Gaza plan – from IDF chiefs, to the Knesset, and even amongst the left-wing. He has therefore taken a step back – deciding not to allow PM Sharon to use an American endorsement of his plan as a way of bypassing Israeli public opinion, as well as that of his own Likud party.
In addition to those considerations, Israel News Agency sources indicate that in coming days a major announcement regarding charges against the Prime Minister and his sons are scheduled to be made. The uncertainty of the ramifications of such announcements, as well as their content, have made a meeting with Sharon into more of a liability than an asset – especially amidst the US election frenzy. Many of Bush’s supporters are conservative Christians and Jews opposed to withdrawals from any part of the Land of Israel and the US President fears losing their important votes in places like Florida."
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
