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Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59199-2003Nov18.html
Israel Urged to Aid Palestinians
(Washington Post) - White House officials have held intense discussions with Israeli officials in recent weeks on ways to ease the plight of the Palestinians, lift roadblocks in the territories, and deal with other vexing issues that have created a chill in the generally warm relations between President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Sharon, U.S. officials said Tuesday. A senior administration official, briefing reporters on Air Force One as Bush flew to Britain, said it was necessary for the Palestinians to build security forces that would fight terrorism. "But it's also still necessary for Israel to create conditions in which a partner can emerge, and that means not prejudging the outcome of a final status agreement with settlements or with the route of the fence," the official said. "It means trying to do something about the kind of daily difficulties that Palestinian people experience at any given checkpoint."