The White House is refusing to proffer the diplomatic "goods" Prime Minister Sharon is seeking in exchange for his planned unilateral withdrawal from Gaza. At this stage, US President George Bush is not prepared to formally recognize the permanence of Israeli control over the main blocs of Jewish communities in Samaria and Judea, including the cities of Ariel and Maaleh Adumim, and the Etzion Bloc. The US has indicated that such a commitment will complicate their relations with the Arab world.
On the other hand, according to Yoram Ettinger, an expert on US-Israel relations, the reason the Americans object to the withdrawal plan is that they see it as undermining the international war on terrorism. "When the model for counterterrorism [Israel] retreats, it is a blow not just for Israel, but for the entire battlefront," Ettinger explained.
Other commentators see Bush's refusal to assist Prime Minister Sharon in the context of upcoming American elections. Arutz-7's Yedidya Atlas called Sharon an "albatross around Bush's neck" before an election that will depend heavily on key voter blocs that are unhappy with Sharon's policies. Specifically, Atlas writes, the Evangelical Christians in the south and Orthodox Jews in Florida and New York are "hardcore supporters of Israel [who] oppose any Israeli territorial concessions in general, and particularly so while Israel is under fire from an aggressive and brutal terrorist enemy."
Furthermore, Yaakov (Ketzaleh) Katz, who served in 1990-92 as top aide to then-Housing Minister Ariel Sharon, says it is clear that Sharon is doing everything he can to deflect attention from his personal legal and political problems, but that Bush does not want to be used by Sharon for those purposes.
In reaction to the failed Weisglass mission to Washington, Vice-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said today that Israel should implement the unilateral withdrawal from Gaza even without any American diplomatic commitments.
A three-man American team, headed by Undersecretary of State for Middle East Affairs William Burns, is scheduled to arrive next week for another round of talks regarding Prime Minister Sharon's disengagement plan.
In other news spotlighting US-Israel relations, the United States vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution intended to condemn Israel for the elimination of terrorist leader Ahmed Yassin. The bill was introduced and supported by the Arab nations. Eleven nations supported the condemnatory statement, while Britain, Germany and Romania abstained.
On the other hand, according to Yoram Ettinger, an expert on US-Israel relations, the reason the Americans object to the withdrawal plan is that they see it as undermining the international war on terrorism. "When the model for counterterrorism [Israel] retreats, it is a blow not just for Israel, but for the entire battlefront," Ettinger explained.
Other commentators see Bush's refusal to assist Prime Minister Sharon in the context of upcoming American elections. Arutz-7's Yedidya Atlas called Sharon an "albatross around Bush's neck" before an election that will depend heavily on key voter blocs that are unhappy with Sharon's policies. Specifically, Atlas writes, the Evangelical Christians in the south and Orthodox Jews in Florida and New York are "hardcore supporters of Israel [who] oppose any Israeli territorial concessions in general, and particularly so while Israel is under fire from an aggressive and brutal terrorist enemy."
Furthermore, Yaakov (Ketzaleh) Katz, who served in 1990-92 as top aide to then-Housing Minister Ariel Sharon, says it is clear that Sharon is doing everything he can to deflect attention from his personal legal and political problems, but that Bush does not want to be used by Sharon for those purposes.
In reaction to the failed Weisglass mission to Washington, Vice-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said today that Israel should implement the unilateral withdrawal from Gaza even without any American diplomatic commitments.
A three-man American team, headed by Undersecretary of State for Middle East Affairs William Burns, is scheduled to arrive next week for another round of talks regarding Prime Minister Sharon's disengagement plan.
In other news spotlighting US-Israel relations, the United States vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution intended to condemn Israel for the elimination of terrorist leader Ahmed Yassin. The bill was introduced and supported by the Arab nations. Eleven nations supported the condemnatory statement, while Britain, Germany and Romania abstained.