ISRAEL - GET OUT OF THE WEST BANK - SAYS RICE

Blogmaster's Comments: Well, here we go again, Condoleeza Rice is again flexing her muscles and threatening Israel. Read between the lines and it is not rocket science to see clearly that the U.S. is on a path of appeasement with the Arabs. The Price?... Why more Jewish Land of course! Israel needs to become independent of the United States for military hardware and supplies. I for one am sick and tired of the United States treating Israel like a naughty child and favoring Israel's enemies. Perhaps an allignment with China would better serve Israel's interests in the region. America's foreign policy regarding the Middle-East is obvious and transparent...Keep America's heel on Israel and kow-tow to the Saudis, Egypt and Jordan. It's all about oil - simple as that. If the United States were forced to choose between Israel and the Arabs, who do you think would be left out in the cold???

MAAN NEWS AGENCY---------------------------

Israel must stop the occupation of the West Bank,

says US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

Date: 26 / 07 / 2007 Time: 15:13

Bethlehem – Ma'an – The United States Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice said on Thursday that Israel must end the occupation of the West Bank. She made the statement in an interview with Radio Sawa, an American-Arabic station. Rice pointed out that US President George W. Bush, in a speech last week, had made it clear that Israel's future should be limited to Israel itself, concentrating on developing the Galilee and Negev. The US Secretary of State also stressed that a Palestinian state must be established. Rice, together with US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, will arrive in the region sometime next week for a series of meetings with the foreign ministers of Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf States. Bush called for an international conference on Middle East peace last week, to be held this autumn. Secretary Rice said that she expects the Middle Eastern representatives she will be meeting next week will express their support for the conference. Rice made her comments a day after the historic visit to Jerusalem by the foreign minister of Egypt, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and Jordan's foreign minister, Abdelelah Al-Khatib, who came to the city as representatives of the Arab League.The dignitaries came to promote the Arab peace initiative, which the Arab League reiterated during the Riyadh summit earlier this year. They met with Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. According to a senior Israeli government source, talks with Saudi officials have been taking place through a third party for some time. During the meeting, Olmert stressed the importance of other Arab countries joining the peace process, alluding especially to Saudi Arabia. Haaretz, the Israeli daily newspaper, quoted Aboul Gheit as saying to Olmert that "we hope Israel and the Palestinian Authority [PA] will make sufficient progress in their meetings to create the necessary atmosphere for normalising relations between Israel and the rest of the Arab world." Olmert in response said that Israel and the PA "have begun a process of dialogue that will naturally also lead to negotiations with the PA on the main issue that will enable the establishment of a Palestinian state." Israel's Prime Minister confirmed that he intends to negotiate with PA President Abbas on a "declaration of principles" for the establishment of a Palestinian state. "There are […] quiet understandings," said Olmert.