re: #228 MJ

Since there is lots of confusion of what Bush agreed to, it’s useful to read Elliot Abrams on what Bush agreed to and what he didn’t agree to in this interview from last month:

The Settlement Freeze Fallacy

By Elliott Abrams
Wednesday, April 8, 2009; Page A17
Will Israel’s new government face American demands for a settlement freeze? If so, we are headed for a needless confrontation with the Netanyahu cabinet…

[Link: www.washingtonpost.com…]

Bush to Sharon, 2004:

“In light of new realities on the ground, including already existing major Israeli populations centers, it is unrealistic to expect that the outcome of final status negotiations will be a full and complete return to the armistice lines of 1949, and all previous efforts to negotiate a two-state solution have reached the same conclusion. It is realistic to expect that any final status agreement will only be achieved on the basis of mutually agreed changes that reflect these realities.”