(Washington Post) Glenn Frankel - Sharon and his colleagues are concerned that the Bush administration, in pressing the road map, has shifted from being Israel's intimate partner and supporter to a more neutral position, and that Sharon's personal relationship with Bush has been superceded by the president's newfound admiration for Abbas and for Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian finance minister. Sharon and his commanders believe they gave the administration maximum support before and during the war in Iraq, showing restraint in fighting Palestinian radicals in order to deny Saddam Hussein an excuse to distract world attention. "Then out of the blue, after the war is over, America springs the road map," said Michael Oren, a military historian. "I think Sharon was surprised and disappointed." Still, Sharon pushed the road map through a reluctant cabinet and attended last week's U.S.-led peace summit at Aqaba.
2003-06-13 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive