US Ambassador Kurtzer: No US understanding on settlement blocs

Aaron Lerner Date: 25
March 2005

Yediot Ahronot reports this morning that United States Ambassador to Israel
Daniel Kurtzer told a group from the Israeli Foreign Ministry that there is
absolutely no understanding between Israel and the United States with
regards to Israel retaining the settlement blocs in a final agreement with
the Palestinians. This understanding was cited as a key justification for
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan.

Kurtzer attributed the "misunderstanding" to Israeli confusion over the use
of the term "I understand" when used in a conversation. When the Israelis
handling the talks with the United States (Dov Weissglass) hear an American
say "I understand" in the course of a conversation they think it means that
there is an "understanding" or "agreement", Kurtzer explained, when all it
means is that the American "understands" what the the Israeli said.

Kurtzer also said that he expected the Sharon Government to fall after the
disengagement and Palestinian terror to resume during the Knesset election
campaign.

Israel Radio reported this morning that the Bush Administration has decided
to postpone pressure on Israel to back down from construction plans in
Maaleh Adumim for a few days until after the State budget is passed.

MK Uzi Landau (Likud) said in a live interview on Israel Radio that Kurtzer's
remarks are no surprise - that anyone who read the actual letter exchanged
and followed statements by President Bush and other American officials knew
that this was the case.

Curiously, this week Israel Radio and Channel One TV senior diplomatic
correspondent Ayala Chason argued on this point with MK Ehud Barak (Labor) -
asserting that Barak's claim that there was no understanding with the US
regarding that settlement blocs was completely wrong and that Barak's
response that the Israeli media was ignoring the truth was insulting.

In the exchange of letters President Bush opined that Israeli populations
beyond the Green Line would have a value in the negotiations. While the
Sharon team asserted that this means that the settlement blocs would remain,
the actual meaning was that the US is of the opinion that they will have
value as bargaining chips - this while the Palestinian position is that the
blocs have no value as bargaining chips as the Palestinians consider them
illegal. While the US thinks they have value as bargaining chips the
Americans have taken care to repeat each time that the results of the talks
are completely up to the parties.

Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
(Mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)
Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax 972-3-7255730
INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il
Website: http://www.imra.org.il