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National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley (right) standing with US President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at the Bush Ranch during a meeting on the Middle East.
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| By israelinsider staff and partners October 31, 2007 |
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The US is increasing pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to remove illegal outposts in Judea and Samaria and implement measures to improve the lives of West Bank Palestinians ahead of the upcoming Annapolis peace summit.
National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, during his visit to Jerusalem last week, expressed Washington's expectation that, if Israel continues to put off decision-making on main issues, such as refugees and future borders, it must remove outposts and improve the situation of West Bank Palestinians.
After a meeting last week between Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, where the two attempted to agree on a joint statement, Israeli officials present at the talk said the two had drawn fractionally closer, but still retained substantially different points of view on most issues.
Olmert wants the statement to be more general and vague, while Abbas demands that specific details be agreed upon, including a timetable for Israel's full withdrawal from Judea and Samaria.
Jerusalem has failed to live up to its pledge to remove all West Bank outposts established after March 2001. Washington, however, has refrained from pushing the issue until now, taking into account Israel's 2005 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
According to Haaretz, Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak will proceed on the outpost issue by continuing thus far unsuccessful talks with the Yesha Council, an organization the represents the settlers, on evacuation by accord.
"We will not wait for the settlers forever. Evacuation by accord will be the least painful, but if this doesn't work, we will evacuate them without accord," stated one political official.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni agreed that a solution on the issue must be sought, saying "we will have to do something about the outposts."
According to a Jerusalem source, though Olmert is not planning on dismantling any outposts before the summit, slated to take place next month, he is planning to implement additional measures to improve the lives of West Bank Palestinians.
During his meeting with Hadley, Barak sited measures already employed, such as the removal of 25 roadblocks and checkpoints, and Israel's approval of PA police officers in Nablus.
Stan Goodenough of Jerusalem Newswire contributed to this report.
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