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Hillary's Wrong: Bush, Israel Agreed on Settlements

Sharon talks resulted in "understandings": Abrams

By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 25, 2009 8:35 AM CDT
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(Newser) – Hillary Clinton said last week that the Bush administration hadn’t made any “informal or oral agreements” on Israel settlements, but that’s simply not true, writes Bush adviser Elliott Abrams in the Wall Street Journal. In fact, talks between the administration and Israel’s then-PM resulted in Ariel Sharon’s agreement to “remove some West Bank settlements”—at his own political expense.

Sharon and Bush also agreed that there could be some “continuing growth,” though there would be “no construction of new settlements,” as Sharon said in a major speech in 2003. Both a letter to Condoleezza Rice and media reports documented agreements between the governments. Now, Abrams laments, President Obama “has decided to abandon the understandings”—“but we cannot rewrite history” and pretend they “did not exist.”

In this 2003 file photo from the Red Sea Summit, President George W. Bush, center, is seen with Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, left, and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas.
In this 2003 file photo from the "Red Sea Summit", President George W. Bush, center, is seen with Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, left, and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas.   (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
President Bush walks with his senior Middle East adviser Elliott Abrams to meet with participants of the U.S. Middle East Partnership Initiative, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008, at the White House.
President Bush walks with his senior Middle East adviser Elliott Abrams to meet with participants of the U.S. Middle East Partnership Initiative, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008, at the White House.   (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 15 comments
JonmarkP
Jun 26, 2009 9:01 AM CDT
This is a difficult call. It it's printed by the Wall Street Urinal, it's a lie. If it comes out of Hillary's mouth, it's a lie. So the truth must lie elsewhere. Let's ask Karl Rove...
John
Jun 26, 2009 4:45 AM CDT
What? Like allowing Israel to enslave the Palestinians?
Stuart
Jun 25, 2009 7:40 AM CDT
He's blaming the people who were given 1 of 2 territories they have been demanding and instead of using that territory to build peace, they used it to build rockets to shoot at civilians. Can't imagine why anyone would blame them, huh?

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Press Association

 
Bush administration • Hillary Clinton • Israel • Palestine • Elliott Abrams • Ariel Sharon • Arab Israeli conflict • George W. Bush • Obama administration • agreement • settlements

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