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Last update - 09:55 15/05/2008 Jerusalem is waiting for Bush By Haaretz Editorial Tags: George Bush, Israel As a gesture to Israel on the 60th anniversary of the state, U.S. President George W. Bush is visiting Jerusalem, Israel's capital, for the second time in four months. The welcome prepared for him by Hamas - a major attack on a mall in Ashkelon - illustrates perhaps better than anything else the urgency of reaching an agreement that will check the extremist forces in the region. Therefore it is essential to prevent any attempt to create areas of friction that hinder the diplomatic process. One of those areas is East Jerusalem, and primarily the Old City and its environs. During his previous visit to Jerusalem, Bush - out of identification with the coalition constraints of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert - accepted his suggestion to postpone the discussion of an arrangement in East Jerusalem until the final stage of the negotiations. Clearly Israel is not supposed to exploit this time-out in order to determine urban and political facts that will make it difficult to reach an agreement. However, initiatives by nationalist Jewish groups to take control of lands and assets in the Old City and the neighborhoods of the "holy basin" are continually being exposed. Two weeks ago Haaretz published a plan to build a new Jewish neighborhood in the compound of the old police station in Ras al-Amud. Yesterday it was reported that the Jerusalem municipality has begun proceedings to approve a plan to build a synagogue, residential units and a parking lot in the village of Silwan, whose name has been changed to the City of David. Advertisement According to a document recently prepared by the Palestinian negotiating team, right-wing associations headed by Elad and Ateret Cohanim are planning to bring in about 5,000 settlers, in addition to the 3,100 Jews now living in 17 neighborhoods in the Old City and the ring surrounding it. In this way, East Jerusalem - the center of the political, cultural, religious and economic life of the Palestinians - will be cut off from the rest of the territories. In the wake of the takeover by Elad of two large and populated compounds in East Jerusalem two years ago, a representative of the organization said that "our goal is to take over outposts in East Jerusalem and to create an irreversible situation in the holy basin surrounding the Old City." Since then the organization has broadened its control in the area, with the full assistance of the Antiquities Authority and the Israel Nature and National Parks Protection Authority. The realization of this aspiration of the right-wing groups will leave not a single stone in place in Vice Premier Haim Ramon's plan to divide Jerusalem according to ethnicity, according to the principles of Bill Clinton's outlines of December 2000. The creeping annexation of parts of the Arab neighborhoods will turn a political conflict into a religious struggle, which will prevent any diplomatic solution. It will also arouse the entire Arab and Muslim world against Israel. The United States, Israel's greatest friend and the broker of the two-state vision, will not emerge clean either. When he landed yesterday on Israeli soil, Bush declared that "the Israelis are our close friends." A close friend of the Israelis is not permitted to stand on the sidelines while their government is playing with matches next to a barrel of explosives. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Animated massacre Animated Israeli film at Cannes explores Sabra and Shatila massacre. Kowtowing to funders When papers are sponsored, can their reporting be truly independent?   1.   Moscowitz funds neocons behind Bush 15:56  |  Rowan 15/05/08   2.   Bush`s Negligence on Middle-East Diplomacy 16:01  |  Jeffrey Stone 15/05/08   3.   Jews have no claim to al Quds 16:01  |  Raed Kami 15/05/08   4.   This land is ours and nothing will stop us from settling every in 16:06  |  Chaim 15/05/08   5.   Delmore Schwartz`s prophecy concerning Israel 16:16  |  Rowan 15/05/08   6.   Haaretz must know that History is above worthless 16:18  |  Akram Zekaria 15/05/08   7.   The urgency of reaching an agreement??? 16:22  |  Rob 15/05/08   8.   #3 no right to Jerusalem for jews? 16:36  |  Jacob 15/05/08   9.   Haaretz`s Idiocy - Could Care Less About Sderot and Ashkelon 16:37  |  Tod Zuckerman 15/05/08   10.   #3 - Jews have no claim to Al-Quds 16:50  |  Shlomo 15/05/08   11.   #3 Raed Karmi 16:54  |  Moshe 15/05/08   12.   What we need is less Bush 16:55  |  Gee 15/05/08   13.   Nothing will change 16:56  |  Wendy 15/05/08   14.   bush will do nothing 16:57  |  Yaakov Sullivan 15/05/08   15.   Raed Kami #3 16:58  |  Gee 15/05/08   16.   #8, 10, 11 17:24  |  Space 15/05/08   17.   US must not stand idly by as Iran conquers Lebanon... 17:27  |  Realist 15/05/08   18.   #3 the mental defectives that post are endless 17:29  |  v hardman 15/05/08   19.   I like Bush but he is not God 17:35  |  marilyn 15/05/08   20.   Read Nonie Darwish & Ayyan Hirsi Ali 17:58  |  Hofikoman 15/05/08   21.   Gee and Raed are obstacles to peace. 18:09  |  Ibrahim 15/05/08   22.   Jerusalem waiting for Bush the Messiah: Ya latif, Toz w tozzayn 18:09  |  Aounist 15/05/08   23.   Putting out fire and not playing with matches 18:27  |  Tali 15/05/08   24.   Space #16 18:40  |  Gee 15/05/08   25.   Ibrahim #21 has no facts to support his claims, like the Arabs 18:44  |  Gee 15/05/08   26.   ~ study Balaam - GW 19:06  |  Steven 15/05/08   27.   Just a little thought 19:29  |  Rowan 15/05/08   28.   When Abbas Says All Refugees Can Return to ISRAEL What Means?! 21:04  |  Ben S 15/05/08   29.   What A Sad, Sad, Statement 22:08  |  Jordan 15/05/08   30.   Jerusalem Israel`s capital? 01:03  |  Rafa 16/05/08   31.   To Gee, wearing blinders? 01:10  |  david 16/05/08   32.   JERUSALEM IS WAITING FOR AN END TO OLMERTS DEFEATISM 04:05  |  Rachel 16/05/08

Read & React Israel protests UN chief Ban Ki-Moon's use of term 'nakba' Responses: 421 PMO: U.S., Israel see need for 'tangible action' on Iran nukes Responses: 129 Shmuel Rosner: Bush, Obama and the 'appeasement' jibe Responses: 90 Bin Laden vows to 'fight' Israel for Palestinian land Responses: 201 Sultan al-Qassemi: Arab Jews should be welcomed back in their ancestral homes Responses: 128 More Headlines 02:00 Report: Police to confront Olmert with new evidence 01:44 Obama says Bush policies strengthened Iran, Hamas 23:53 Bush offers Saudis nuclear power in exchange for more oil 13:20 Bin Laden vows to 'fight' Israel for Palestinian land 21:16 The enemies within 17:09 New York Muslim leader forges close ties with city's Jews 21:12 Green giant 09:07 Was Bush's Knesset speech a swipe at Obama? 13:10 PMO: U.S., Israel see need for 'tangible action' on Iran nukes 21:50 Man suspected of stabbing wife, leaving her moderately wounded 14:09 Hamas: Inclusion of Shalit in truce deal must be on our terms 18:20 ANALYSIS: Who wants to stop Iran? Previous Editions Select Day 16 may 15 may 14 may 13 may 12 may 11 may 09 may 08 may 07 may 06 may 05 may 04 may

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