Special Report
SHARON STRATEGY from page 19
backed road map — he said the sides
could return to the road map even
after a unilateral withdrawal — made
it harder to criticize the plan's unilater-
alism.
Additionally, Sharon said he imme-
diately would dismantle illegal settle-
ment outposts and was more specific
than he ever has been about freezing
settlements. He pledged no further
land expropriation, no building
beyond existing settlement borders
and no new financial incentives.
That pleased the White House.
"For the first time, he said flatly that
there would be no new settlements, no
confiscation of land for construction,
no special economic incentives for set-
tlers and no construction beyond pres-
ent construction zones," White House
spokesman Scott McClellan said.
Another concession for the
Americans was Sharon's pledge to
remove West Bank roadblocks and
improve economic conditions for the
Palestinians without any precondi-
tions.
In an interview with the Yediot
Achronot newspaper, President George
W. Bush praised Sharon for emphasiz-
ing the road map in the speech. He
also wondered whether Israelis would
support Sharon's new vision.
Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice
chairman of the Conference of
Presidents of Major American Jewish
Organizations, said he believes the
speech will be well received in
Washington.
"He addressed himself to the
Palestinians and offers them a better
life," Hoenlein said. "If they take con-
trol now, he offers them real hope."
Foxman said the speech would allay
some U.S. concerns.
"The administration was very con-
cerned that Israel would, all of a sud-
den, take unilateral action," Foxman
said. "He agreed to hold off."
U.S. diplomats were left treading a
fine line between commending Sharon
for his apparent concessions and
expressing their distaste for any unilat-
eral moves.
"We welcome Sharon's reaffirmation
of his wholehearted commitment to
the road map and his commitment to
making life easier for the Palestinians
and his commitment to the president
33
last summer to remove outposts, one
State Department official said. "We
also restate our opposition to any uni-
lateral steps that would prejudge the
final status." II
JTA correspondent Dan Baron in Tel
Aviv contributed to this report.
A New Map
Prime minister outlines plans for disengagement absent serious anti-terror effort by Palestinians.
Herzliya, Israel/JTA
he following are the main
points of Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon's speech at the
Herzliya conference:
• The road map peace plan is the
only political plan accepted by Israel,
the Palestinians, the United States and
a majority of the international com-
munity.
• Peace will not somehow lead to
security; security will lead to peace.
Any attempt to make peace without
first ensuring security is doomed to
fail.
• It is incumbent upon the
Palestinians to uproot terrorist groups
and create a law-abiding society that
fights violence and incitement.
• Israel is taking steps to improve
the living conditions of the Palestinian
population and is prepared to transfer
Palestinian towns to Palestinian securi-
ty responsibility.
• Unauthorized Israeli settlement
outposts in the West Bank will be dis-
mantled. In addition, there -will be no
construction of settlements beyond
their existing boundaries, no expropri-
ation of land for further construction,
no special economic incentives and no
construction of new settlements.
• If the Palestinians do not begin
actively fighting terrorism in the next
few months, then Israel will begin dis-
engaging from the Palestinians unilat-
erally. Such steps will be taken in
Stay The Course, Says Bush
Washington/JTA — President George W Bush reiterated his com-
mitment to the road map for peace at a Chanukah meeting with
Jewish leaders.
In an hour-long meeting with about 20 Jewish leaders Dec. 22,
Bush, center, said he is committed to the U.S.-led peace initiative,
which envisions an end to terror and creation of a Palestinian state by
2005.
He spoke of his closeness to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Referring to Sharons recent pledge to establish Israeli borders on the
West Bank unless the Palestinians crack down on terrorists, Bush
said he understands-Israel's need for security, but said the road map
remains the basis for U.S. policy.
The U.S.-led war on terror, the war in Iraq and the Iranian
threat were also discussed at the meeting.
12/26
2003
20
coordination with the United States.
• The "disengagement plan" will
include the redeployment of the Israel
Defense Forces along new security
lines and a change in the location of
some settlements.
• The relocation of settlements will
be determined in order to draw the
most effective security line possible,
but this security line will not consti-
tute the permanent border of the State
of Israel. Settlements to be relocated
are those that will not be included in
the territory of the State of Israel in
the framework of any possible future
permanent agreement. At the same
time, Israel will strengthen its control
over areas that it intends to include as
part of the state in any future agree-
ment.
• Israel will greatly accelerate the
construction of the security fence.
• The Palestinians will receive much
less through the disengagement plan
than they would have received
through direct negotiations, but the
disengagement plan does not prevent
the possibility of returning to the road
map. It is possible that parts of the
disengagement plan will be undertak-
en while also attempting to implement
the road map.
• Whether advancing the road map
or implementing the disengagement
plan, Israel must strive to preserve its
national unity. 0