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| By Associated Press December 28, 2006 |
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In a rare criticism, the Bush administration said Wednesday if Israel proceeds with construction of a settlement on the West Bank it would violate its peacemaking obligations.
But defending its construction plan, a spokesman for the Israeli embassy said "the settlement is not a new one." It was legally established in 1982, housed an army unit and a school and has had civilians living there for several years, said spokesman David Siegel.
The plan is to build within the confines of the existing settlement, he said.
A State Department spokesman, Gonzalo R. Gallegos, said, "The U.S. calls on Israel to meet its roadmap obligations and avoid taking steps that could be viewed as predetermining the outcome of future negotiations."
"The establishment of a new settlement or the expansion of any existing settlement would violate Israel's obligations under the roadmap," the U.S. official said.
Israel agreed to the roadmap in 2003. It was devised by the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia in an effort to guide Israel and the Palestinians into an agreement that establishes a Palestinian state.
No new settlement has been established on the West Bank in 10 years. The plan has drawn Palestinian and European expressions of concern.
The Bush administration rarely criticizes Israel's actions and has gained Israel's support for establishment of a Palestinian state.
Opponents of Mahmoud Abbas, the moderate president of the Palestinian Authority, have criticized his cooperation with Israel in trying to get peace talks started. They have accused him of yielding to a U.S.-Israeli approach.
Gallegos said, "We are seeking an explanation from the Israeli government regarding this development."
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is expected to go to the Middle East next month to try to spur peacemaking between Israel and the Palestinians.
It was not clear whether she had approved the statement.
"We will continue to work with Israel and the Palestinians to encourage President Bush's vision of two states" living side by side in peace, Gallegos said.
The settlement plan, approved by Israeli defense minister Amir Peretz, calls for construction on the site of an Army base in the Jordan valley.
By contrast, Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has endorsed Palestinian statehood and said he was agreeable to a large-scale Israel pullback on the West Bank to make way for a state.
Gallegos said the roadmap states "progress will require and depend upon the good-faith efforts of the parties." |
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