- RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters)
-- Palestinians, backed by the Arab League, accused the United States on
Sunday of destroying the Middle East peace process after Washington signaled
it could accept some growth of Israeli settlements.
-
- Until now, the United States had demanded a freeze on
building all Jewish settlements on land occupied in the 1967 Middle East
war. The communities are seen as illegal by most of the world, though Israel
disputes this.
-
- But the Bush administration signaled flexibility on Saturday
on some limited growth in West Bank settlements to help embattled Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as he tries to get a plan for withdrawal from
occupied Gaza past his far right.
-
- "I do not believe that America says now that settlements
can be expanded. This thwarts and destroys the peace process," Palestinian
Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie told reporters.
-
- Palestinians, who fear uprooting the Gaza settlers is
a cover for strengthening Israel's hold on bigger West Bank enclaves, said
the United States was tearing up its own peace "road map" --
a blueprint for a Palestinian state that has been stalled by violence.
-
- "For the United States to take such positions ...
can only damage the peace process, if it exists, and damage the whole situation
and make it more difficult," Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa
told reporters in Cairo.
-
- A senior U.S. administration official, commenting on
Israel's plan to build 1,000 more settler homes, said on Saturday: "There
is some flexibility there."
-
- While the White House denied any official change in the
U.S. stance, an official said efforts were under way to clarify with the
Israelis what "settlement activity" means.
-
- Based on this new understanding, officials said Washington
could agree to new construction provided it did not take place outside
the boundaries of existing settlements.
-
- MEANT TO HELP SHARON
-
- A senior Israeli source said there was a clear understanding
that the United States was trying to help Sharon push through his plan
for "disengagement" from nearly four years of conflict with the
Palestinians.
-
- "This is crucial for Sharon to get through the disengagement
plan. He needs it for the Israeli public and his party. The Americans understand
that," the senior source said.
-
- Accepting limited construction within existing settlements
could also benefit President Bush (news - web sites), who is loath to cross
Jewish-American voters who back settlements and other conservative supporters
of Israel in the run-up to the November election.
-
- Sharon on Sunday took another step toward implementing
his Gaza pullout plan by opening an office to discuss compensation with
settlers. His unilateral initiative involves removing all the 8,000 settlers
from Gaza and several hundred of the more than 230,000 settlers in the
West Bank by the end of next year. Officials have said settlers may receive
as much as $300,000 per family.
-
- Setting up the bureau came despite the blow dealt to
Sharon last week by pro-settler rebels in his right-wing Likud party, who
voted down a proposed coalition with the center-left Labour party that
could have smoothed the way for the Gaza plan.
-
- Hard-liners in Likud, which was long opposed to ceding
any land, say giving up Gaza would "reward Palestinian terrorism."
-
- Israeli sources said Sharon would now pursue contacts
on forming a coalition with ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties, but might woo
Labour at a later date.
-
- - Additional reporting by Jonathan Wright in Cairo
-
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