Does it matter what kind of cheese our President dislikes?
“We… try to make sure that the Palestinians understand that we believe in the contiguous state,” he said. “It can’t look like Swiss cheese. How can you have a hopeful place if you’re not really in charge of a contiguous territory?… It won’t be a viable state.”
Bush took pains in the interview to assert that he wasn’t chasing a Nobel Peace Prize and wasn’t worrying about his legacy. But he also made crystal clear that he wants to see at least a framework agreement concluded before he leaves office.
And the indications are that he believes this can best be achieved by focusing first on borders. Not from an automatic standpoint of US support for expanded Israeli sovereignty to include major settlement blocs, as Sharon and Olmert would have hoped. But apparently from a belief that the Palestinians must be assured full control of contiguous territory, because only if they are satisfied with the parameters of their state-in-waiting might they possibly be wooed toward compromise on the refugee issue.
From Analysis: On borders, Swiss cheese trumps a four-year-old letter
By DAVID HOROVITZ
Where does President Bush want to draw the line?