Think Again: Palestine. "Economic Peace Is Possible.
" No. Neither sustainable economic development nor peace is possible without political freedom. The idea of "economic peace" suggests an economic conflict, and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is certainly not that. Although economic issues do figure into Palestinian concerns, they are not nearly as important as addressing the rights of Palestinian refugees, terminating Israel's occupation of Palestinian land, and establishing a viable, independent, and sovereign Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Foreign Policy: Land War: The Battle over Israel's Settleme. Showdown: From the moment U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held their first official meeting at the White House on May 18, it was clear they would disagree more than the two countries' leaders have at any time in recent memory. The flash point is equally apparent: settlements.
The more than 100 settlements in the West Bank -- home to upwards of 300,000 Jews -- have seen no shortage of controversy since Israel's independence. Clinton Rejects Israeli Claims of Accord on Settlements - washin. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton forcefully rejected yesterday Israeli claims that the Bush administration had secretly agreed to expanding Jewish settlements on the West Bank, deepening the impasse between the two countries.
"We have the negotiating record, that is the official record, that was turned over to the Obama administration by the outgoing Bush administration," Clinton told reporters after meeting with her Turkish counterpart in Washington. "There is no memorialization of any informal and oral agreements. " President Obama in recent weeks has pushed Israel to halt settlement growth, including expansion that results from population growth, on the grounds that it violates commitments made by Israel in the 2003 "road map" peace plan. Israeli officials have protested, saying that they had reached a series of understandings with Bush administration officials -- some written, some spoken -- under which growth was permitted under certain conditions.
Obama envoy may propose immediate talks on West Bank borders - H.