The State Department Defines a Settlement Freeze

THE STATE DEPARTMENT DEFINES A SETTLEMENT FREEZE

Foundation for Middle East Peace - Settlement Report Sept/Oct 2003

Department of State spokesman Richard Boucher:

Question: Has the State Department made an assessment about what more would be required in the first phase to be considered a sufficient settlement freeze?

Boucher: There—some of the outposts were taken down, but there are more to be taken down. And I think the Israeli government has said it has a comprehensive plan to do that. There is the issue of settlements freeze as well, where I'd say it's not settled at this point exactly all the details of how that can be implemented. So settlements is an ongoing issue that remains under discussion.

Question: Do you consider that you have a commitment from the Israelis to freeze settlements or not?

Boucher: We have a commitment from the Israelis on the road map. We have a commitment from the Israelis to take steps that move along the process described by the road map. They have made very clear in public their commitments on taking down outposts. And the issue of settlement activity remains one of discussion with the Israelis on how that can be implemented as well. . . .

Question: Maybe I'm misunderstanding this. . . . The Israelis—either you stop—either you stop or you don't stop, you know. There isn't any other little discussion. There is nothing—there is no room for discussion.

Boucher: I know that sounds great rhetorically in the briefing room. But you all know enough about this subject to know that this issue has been discussed for many years, that there are very involved aspects to this of funding, of so-called natural growth, of so-called, you know, questions of children, questions of cousins, questions of schools, questions of perimeters, questions of land. You know that's been the discussion in the past, and it shouldn't be any different now.

Question: So your understanding, do you have a position on what freezing settlements means? What is it?

Boucher: We have a position that this matter is still under discussion with the Israelis.

(snipped the rest)

Question: Maybe I'm misunderstanding this. . . . The Israelis—either you stop—either you stop or you don't stop, you know. There isn't any other little discussion. There is nothing—there is no room for discussion.

Boucher: We have a position that this matter is still under discussion with the Israelis.

* * * *

Or as Sharon calls it "Musical Outposts"

God, the poor Progressive, Leftist Israelis- having to live under such a shameful Right-wing government. You really have to pity them and at the same time admire the cohones they have in denouncing this garbage and fighting it while at the same time fighting the people who call them traitors... Shades of living under Bush & Co.

... and "freeze" means whatever Sharon wants it to?

the matter is under discussion.

I was going to write:


Question: Maybe I'm misunderstanding this. . . . The Israelis—either you stop—either you stop or you don't stop, you know. There isn't any other little discussion. There is nothing—there is no room for discussion. Freeze means grab a heater.

Answer: We have a position that the definition of the word is still under discussion with the Israelis.

what you are asking is that people stop living and nature is put on hold. This is genocidal.

it's all in the road-map which he sort of agreed to (with his mouth).

you have got to be kidding me

Is that what that post said? Genocidal to freeze the settlements?

And then we're expected to believe that everyone in this forum supports the 2-state solution. :eyes:

Two states obviously doesn't seperate Jews and Arabs. Only in the majority. Arab Moslems won't leave Israel when there's a Palestinian state.

That's what the thread was about and what was being discussed....

Violet...

If one population needs to build a wall to prevent the other from attacking, it is a wall for peace.

And what was being talked about was yr belief that dismantling the settlements is genocidal. There's lots of things that aren't genocidal, but I don't really think it's necessary for you to trot out a list saying 'Neither is....' as any sort of excuse for yr belief...

Violet...

to add "Oh my!"

Where he says "natural growth" isn't in the Roadmap. :crazy: :crazy:

This is what I was mentioning to Violet yesterday :D

Isn't the State Dept supposed to be the moderate wing of the US government?

has committed some of the worst mistakes in American history. The quotas on immigrants caused hundreds of thousands of Jews to lose their lives during the Holocaust.. There are commonly plain-old racists in that entity.

In regard to the war in Iraq, yes, they are moderate.

When does the freeze on bus bombings begin?

if peace ever comes to that embattled region, hamas will be out of a job since their primary purpose is the destruction of Israel, (unless they changed their mission?) Peace would require the absence of terrorism, (defined by the targeting of civilians only), therefore the two are incompatible.

I wish I knew what the answer was but surely the absence of most of the settlements would be a beginning. It cannot go on unchecked. Peace to both peoples.

what exactly about the interview is "ok fine" for you?

This is a test of the Red Herring Alert Broadcast System. If this would have been a real Red Herring (which it is), you are to completely ignore such post. Back to your regularly scheduled program, "Israel and how she can do no wrong."

:thumbsup: