(Ha'aretz) - Aluf Benn Diplomatic sources in Jerusalem said Thursday that despite the collapse of the regime of Saddam Hussein, "the day after" is still not here, and it is still early to talk about diverting the attention of the U.S. from the war effort in Iraq to solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Americans are still busy with bringing under their control the remainder of Iraq and are waiting to see if Palestinian Prime Minister Abu Mazen is going to meet international expectations and shake the shadow of Arafat. In Jerusalem the assessment has been that the road map would be postponed until after the war in Iraq. British Prime Minister Tony Blair is pushing for the implementation of the road map - diplomatic lingo for dictating a solution to Sharon. Blair convinced Bush to do something in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and they are trying to decide how to act. According to Jerusalem, Bush has no political interest in a squabble with Sharon on the eve of elections in 2004 and does not see how pressure will have any results. Bush is also personally fond of Sharon and shares a common strategy with him. According to the sources, there is no real dispute between Israel and the U.S., and the administration will not pressure Israel into making concessions while there is ongoing terrorism.
2003-04-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive