The European Union reacted coldly to the Bush-Sharon understandings. The EU said that it would not recognize Israeli borders other than those mutually agreed upon by Israel and the Palestinian Authority in negotiations.
Extreme left-wing MK Yossi Sarid said that Sharon had failed to "come up with the goods" from Bush.
"Bush's speech corresponds almost exactly to Labor's position," said Labor leader Shimon Peres - leaving the door open to future political cooperation between Labor and Sharon.
Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak: "[What Bush said is] valueless. It's good that he said it, it's good that he's not backtracking practically at all from what Clinton said three years ago, and it's good that it will help Sharon in the referendum - but let's not deceive ourselves. This 'festival of commentary' over the past 24 hours is self-deception; there's nothing new here, and in this connection, people like Effie Eitam, Benny Elon and Tzvi Hendel, with whom I disagree politically, are saying the truth: There is just nothing new [in Bush's words]."
Yasser Arafat: "The fanatical Israeli leaders are wrong, and so are those who support them... We will never give up on the 'right of return' or on a state with Jerusalem as its capital... Continued Israeli crimes will result in more violence on the part of our people."
Islamic Jihad, one of the three leading Palestinian terror groups, reacted, "Bush and Sharon will have to share the responsibility for the renewal of the cycle of terrorism." Hamas stated that as long as the problem of Palestinian refugees is not solved, the resistance against Israel would continue.
Extreme left-wing MK Yossi Sarid said that Sharon had failed to "come up with the goods" from Bush.
"Bush's speech corresponds almost exactly to Labor's position," said Labor leader Shimon Peres - leaving the door open to future political cooperation between Labor and Sharon.
Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak: "[What Bush said is] valueless. It's good that he said it, it's good that he's not backtracking practically at all from what Clinton said three years ago, and it's good that it will help Sharon in the referendum - but let's not deceive ourselves. This 'festival of commentary' over the past 24 hours is self-deception; there's nothing new here, and in this connection, people like Effie Eitam, Benny Elon and Tzvi Hendel, with whom I disagree politically, are saying the truth: There is just nothing new [in Bush's words]."
Yasser Arafat: "The fanatical Israeli leaders are wrong, and so are those who support them... We will never give up on the 'right of return' or on a state with Jerusalem as its capital... Continued Israeli crimes will result in more violence on the part of our people."
Islamic Jihad, one of the three leading Palestinian terror groups, reacted, "Bush and Sharon will have to share the responsibility for the renewal of the cycle of terrorism." Hamas stated that as long as the problem of Palestinian refugees is not solved, the resistance against Israel would continue.