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| Middle East |
| Palestinians welcome Israeli approval for Mideast road map |
| 2003-05-25 |
| The Palestinian government on Sunday welcomed the decision by Israel's cabinet to approve the the U.S.-sponsored road map to Middle East peace, but warned Israel, which Sunday appended several concerns to its declaration of support, to accept the plan without alterations. That's not going to happen - Right of Return is a non-starter. Israel would commit suicide by accepting that The cabinet approved the plan by a vote 12-7 after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon received American assurances Friday that Israel's concerns over the implementation of the plan would be taken into consideration. Meaning that we understand the Paleos ultimately want to destroy Israel : short-term with terror attacks, long-term via demographics "We look positively on this decision. This is what the Palestinian Authority was asking for since we received the road map," Palestinian Information Minister Nabil Amr said. "The Israelis must implement their obligations without preconditions and without any changes." Like the Paleos, who accept anything knowing they'll never live up to it and their Euro-apologists won't hold them to it Nabil Abu Rdineh, an advisor to Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, expressed skepticism at the closeness of the cabinet vote in initial reaction. "An approval with conditions is not enough," he said. "They have to approve it as the Palestinians did, without any changes. What is more important is to have assurances for implementation. From our experience with Israeli governments, acceptance is not sufficient, but implementation." ?? Like ending the terror attacks? that was supposed to happen back in the 90's Former Palestinian minister for negotiations affairs Saeb Erekat also welcomed the decision, but said that if Israel was serious in accepting the plan, U.S. President George W. Bush and the Quartet Committee backing the road map should immediately provide the mechanism and schedule for its implementation. Meanwhile, National Religious Party minister Zevulun Orlev, who along with NRP chairman and cabinet minister Effi Eitam, voted Sunday to reject plan, said after the vote that despite his party's opposition, it would not leave the government over the plan. Justice Minister Yosef (Tommy) Lapid said in response to the cabinet decision that Israel had had no choice but to accept the road map. He warned that there would have been an "economic catastrophe" had the peace plan not been approved. "It was a historic day," minister Tzipi Livni of the Likud said. "It was not an easy vote for a right-wing coalition. Maybe it's a sign of hope." Ahead of the cabinet decision to accept the road map, 16 ministers voted in favor of declaring Israel's objection to the Palestinian right of return, a clause that was drawn up by Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and Sharon's bureau chief Dov Weisglass. |
| Posted by:Frank G |