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Sharon: No U.S. Pressure on Settlements

(Jerusalem Post) - Herb Keinon and Amotz Asa-El In an interview on Monday, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said, "If you ask me whether in Beit El there will not be Jews, no, Jews will live there." Asked if Jews will continue to live in Beit El and Shilo under Israeli sovereignty, he replied, "Do you see a possibility of Jews living under Arab sovereignty, I'm asking you, do you see that possibility?" The prime minister said his words about making painful concessions in an interview a month ago were misinterpreted, and that these areas are not "candidates" for withdrawal. Sharon also denied coming under heavy pressure from the U.S. administration to dismantle settlements or settlement outposts. "It is not something today that anyone is dealing with," he said. "All the descriptions about the pressures - there is no pressure from anyone. It is only pressure from the Jews on themselves." Sharon put the present U.S. administration's unfavorable comments about the settlements in historical perspective, saying that no U.S. administration has ever supported Jewish settlement in Judea, Samaria, Gaza, or the Golan Heights. "In my mind this is not an issue on the horizon right now." Regarding his upcoming meeting with new PA Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, Sharon denied that this in any way constitutes negotiating under fire. "The discussion will deal in the first stage with possible arrangements on issues of security and incitement." "The era of speeches, declarations, and promises has passed - they have no more weight. There were those who in their naivete thought 10 years ago that you could count on promises, but that is no longer valid, no one pays attention anymore. Now all that counts is action."
2003-05-13 00:00:00
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