U.S. President George W. Bush appears to be reneging on even the oral assurances he provided Prime Minister Ariel Sharon before the disengagement referendum. Bush spoke at the AIPAC conference in Washington this week, and failed to reiterate the promises he made to Sharon regarding the issues of Arab refugees, final borders, and Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.
Morton A. Klein, President of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) and member of the AIPAC Executive Committee, attended the AIPAC conference and expressed "deep disappointment" with Bush's address: "His speech to the AIPAC conference would have been the natural and appropriate time for President Bush to reiterate what he promised Prime Minister Sharon. Instead, the issues of refugees, borders, and Jewish communities in the territories were conspicuously absent from his remarks. His silence on these issues was deafening. This is further evidence that he has backtracked and reneged on his promises to Sharon and Israel."
After his meeting with Prime Minster Sharon at the White House in April, President Bush issued a statement that the U.S. opposes the mass return of Arab "refugees" from around the world to Israel, and added that "it is unrealistic to expect ... a full and complete return" by Israel to the pre-1967 borders. However, the ZOA notes, the Bush administration soon began backtracking. On May 3, the Quartet - the U.S., the United Nations, Russia, and the European Union - declared that Israel "must end the Israeli occupation that began in 1967" - implying a complete Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 borders. Three days later, Bush met with Jordan's King Abdullah, and said that the United States would not take any positions that would "prejudice" the outcome of the negotiations between Israel and the PA.
Morton A. Klein, President of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) and member of the AIPAC Executive Committee, attended the AIPAC conference and expressed "deep disappointment" with Bush's address: "His speech to the AIPAC conference would have been the natural and appropriate time for President Bush to reiterate what he promised Prime Minister Sharon. Instead, the issues of refugees, borders, and Jewish communities in the territories were conspicuously absent from his remarks. His silence on these issues was deafening. This is further evidence that he has backtracked and reneged on his promises to Sharon and Israel."
After his meeting with Prime Minster Sharon at the White House in April, President Bush issued a statement that the U.S. opposes the mass return of Arab "refugees" from around the world to Israel, and added that "it is unrealistic to expect ... a full and complete return" by Israel to the pre-1967 borders. However, the ZOA notes, the Bush administration soon began backtracking. On May 3, the Quartet - the U.S., the United Nations, Russia, and the European Union - declared that Israel "must end the Israeli occupation that began in 1967" - implying a complete Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 borders. Three days later, Bush met with Jordan's King Abdullah, and said that the United States would not take any positions that would "prejudice" the outcome of the negotiations between Israel and the PA.