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Analysis: President Kerry on Israel
Wash Times - EFLThis is Kerry at his best - which means his worst. Prepare to be nuanced within an inch of Israelâs life... itâs a work in progress. By Gadi Dechter Washington, DC, Jul. 9 (UPI) A leaked draft of the Democratic Party platform and recent statements by John Kerry suggest that a Democratic White House would continue the Bush administrationâs enthusiastic support for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. However, the decidedly circumspect wording of these documents do hint at subtle, but potentially significant, differences in a Kerry administrationâs likely policy regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Last month, Kerry released a position paper titled, "John Kerry: Strengthening Israelâs Security and Bolstering the U.S.-Israel Special Relationship." The paper was designed to assuage concerns of pro-Israel voters still rankled by Kerryâs comments during the primaries, in which he harshly criticized the Israeli construction of the barrier in the West Bank. "I know how disheartened Palestinians are by the Israeli governmentâs decision to build a barrier off the âGreen Line,â cutting deeply into Palestinian areas," Kerry told members of the Arab-American Institute in October 2003, a month after he had announced his candidacy. "We do not need another barrier to peace." He went on to say that the barrier was a "provocative and counterproductive measure" that was not in Israelâs interest. Assured of the nomination, Kerry appears to have reversed his position on the West Bank barrier, which was ruled illegal Friday by the International Court of Justice. "John Kerry supports the construction of Israelâs security fence to stop terrorists from entering Israel," the June statement reads. "The security fence is a legitimate act of self-defense erected in response to the wave of terror attacks against Israeli citizens. He believes the security fence is not a matter for the International Court of Justice." In a statement released Friday evening after the courtâs ruling, Kerry reiterated his support for the barrier, and said he was "deeply disappointed by todayâs International Court of Justice ruling." Posted by: .com 2004-07-11 |
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