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Israel and U.S. Agree: No Withdrawals Without Missile Defense

[New York Sun] Eli Lake - Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is in Washington to make the case that a multi-tiered missile defense system in Israel should be a precondition for any withdrawal required by a final status solution with the Palestinian Arabs. The linkage between missile defense and withdrawal is in part due to the barrage of rockets Israel has withstood from Gaza, territory it relinquished in 2005. David Makovsky, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said Tuesday he thinks there is an understanding between America and Israel that Israel will not relinquish military positions in the West Bank in the near term. "I tend to believe there is a genuine understanding between the United States and Israel, given the unresolved situation in Gaza, that the IDF is going to be in charge of security in the West Bank for the foreseeable future. I do not see the United States trying to press Israel to become more vulnerable," he said.
2007-10-18 01:00:00
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