Sharon Threatened to Halt Trip to See Bush, Aide Says

[G_j]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/16/international/middleeast/16shar.html?th=&pagewanted=print&position=

April 16, 2004

Sharon Threatened to Halt Trip to See Bush, Aide Says
By JAMES BENNET

JERUSALEM, April 15 - In a moment of diplomatic brinkmanship, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon considered canceling his planned trip to Washington this week for fear that President Bush would not give him the diplomatic guarantees he wanted in exchange for his plan to withdraw settlers from the Gaza Strip.

But on Thursday, as Mr. Sharon flew back to Israel, the Palestinian leadership reeled from the shifts in American policy on the Middle East that President Bush announced in Mr. Sharon's company on Wednesday. Mr. Sharon's advisers predicted that he would now get the domestic support he needed to push ahead with his Gaza plan.

Visibly angry, Yasir Arafat, the Palestinian leader, appeared on Palestinian television Thursday to reject the American move. "Our destiny is to defend our land and sacred places and our rights," he said, shaking a finger.

In inevitable contrast, Israel's largest daily newspaper headlined its main news story "Sharon Got It All." Speaking of the Palestinians, Mr. Sharon told the newspaper, "They were dealt a lethal blow."

..more..

[Renew Deal]

1. It's called courting the jewish vote.

Bush is fighting for every vote he can get. That's dangerous.

[BostonTeaParty04]

2. His govt was telling him not to come to the usa.....

I heard a long report on npr last week... his govt was telling him not to come to the USA... basically that it would look bad for him to be standing next to the evil bush at this tenuous time.

In addition, sharon and his kid are up for indictments for fraud...

He came in spite of his advisors and the govt's wish that he stay back...

What a bullshit article.

[daleo]

3. He should have just sent Bush an email with this month's orders

It would be less wasteful of energy that way.

[aquart]

4. Either this is a pathetically cheap slander

Or do you have some evidence that the leader of a tiny, resource-free nation with a small population and no wealth or military strength is secretly running the United States? You are, of course, aware that American Jews are only 2% of the general American population?

So please tell me what miraculous brilliant tricks they use to manipulate the grandson of Hitler's banker.

[physioex]

6. Man that's a complicated question!!

Let's assume you want to trade Diamonds in New York City. What are your chances in doing so if you arent Jewish?? Do you know of an organization called AIPAC and all the mischief they are up to? We hear the politicans crow about welfare and all kinds of wasteful spending. Yet not a single politician from either party will mention a word about foregin aid to Israel. To do so would be political suicide. I hope that the arab-american community wakes up and starts doing some of the same things. It would be the only way to have a more balanced electorate.

[Zhade]

7. No military strength? What are you talking about?

Don't you realize Israel's might, especially in regards to its own WMD? How many billions of dollars have disappeared into the Israeli war machine over the decades?

Don't bother to hint at dragging out that tired old "anti-Semite!" ad hominem attack. The poster never mentioned "American Jews", or indeed ANY Jews aside from one, single, solitary Jew named Ariel Sharon.

[JNelson6563]

10. You make an excellent point

a tiny, resource-free nation with a small population and no wealth or military strength

I know! There is just no way Palestein is calling the shots here! How absurd!

Oh wait...as I read on I see you attribute that description to Israel.

Ugh.

Julie

[SquireJons]

12. There's more than one way to apply pressure

The Jewish population in the U.S. may comprise only 2% of the whole, but they excessive political clout far beyond that tiny number. Twice the U.S. government has tried to force their views onto the Jewish state, only to have the pro-Jewish lobby in congress come up with 60 votes in the Senate to block the initiatives.

Anyone who thinks the Jewish/Israeli lobby is a myth is sadly mistaken. They are real and they are powerful. Plus, Sharon is a hell of a lot smarter than shrub, or anyone else in his administration.

[Classical_Liberal]

14. The Israeli Lobby is no myth. The Jewish Lobby is a complete

delusion. Aipac represents the views of fundy christians better than most jews.

[leftynyc]

16. I vote pathetically cheap slander

n/t

[daleo]

18. It is purely an empirical observation

Israel seems to get what it wants from American governments. The form of the observation was, of course, an exaggeration.

Over the course of my life it has become clear that the U.S. is very one sided in its policies regarding Israel and Palestine, and the Bush administration is the epitome of that phenomenon. If anyone can find any substantive examples of the U.S. government going against Israeli policy, I would be interested in hearing them. I don't know why this is - at one time the course of cold war politics seemed like a reasonable explanation. That no longer applies. It may well be that the U.S. power structure is using Israel for its own purposes, and this is not in the long term interest of Israel itself.

As for the implication of anti-semitism, if there is one here, I don't have any favorites in the assumed cosmic struggle between Christians, Muslims, and Jews. Nor do I have any favorites in the earthly struggle between these three groups. However, I do think peace will require a more even handed approach by the U.S.

I acknowledge that the remark was flippant sounding however, and that is to nobody's advantage in the debate on this matter.

[tinnypriv]

20. The number of people who believe "pathetically cheap slanders"

Must be big, because such heretics have even managed to infiltrate the center-right Israeli Hebrew press.

Say, Ma'ariv (to pick one example):



The headline says "Sharon Threatens, Bush Surrenders"

Good-night.

[troublemaker]

25. re: no wealth or military strength

quick... who has more nukes? Israel or the UK? Buzzz... trick question--they have roughly the same number.

[riverwalker]

5. don't get too smug, Mr. Sharon

it won't matter what dubya "promises" you. After Nov 2 any deal is worth squat.

[DeepModem Mom]

8. WP: Move Could Help Bush Among Jewish Voters

Analysis
Move Could Help Bush Among Jewish Voters

By Dana Milbank and Mike Allen
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, April 15, 2004; Page A16


President Bush's embrace yesterday of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to unilaterally disengage from the Palestinians carries potential political benefits for Bush but also potential risk for his foreign policy.

In declaring that Israel should be able to keep some of the occupied territories and block Palestinian refugees from settling in Israel, Bush followed a familiar pattern of finding common cause with Jews and increasingly pro-Israel Christian conservatives. That Bush's move was good politics was evidenced by Democratic rival John F. Kerry's quick move not to let Bush outflank him among pro-Israel voters....

***

There is a possibility that the action by Bush could further aggravate the situation in Iraq, just as Israel's killing of a prominent Palestinian militant set off rioting in Iraq several weeks ago. Independent pollster John Zogby, who has surveyed extensively in the Arab world, said: "This is pretty much the final nail in the coffin of the peace process as far as Arabs are concerned." He said his polling indicates the Palestinian cause is among the top three issues for 90 percent of Arabs in all Arab countries he has surveyed. "It's not even a political issue, it's a bloodstream issue," Zogby said.

Domestically, though, the move could enable Bush to chip away a few more of the Jewish voters who have traditionally been loyal to Democrats. And in a tight election, the small minority of Jewish voters -- who tend to have strong turnout levels -- could give Bush an edge in battleground states such as Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania....


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12952-2004Apr14.html

[mrdmk]

9. These so called leaders

Are hoping to help each other. Both of them will be facing the music of their doings. Also, both are losing their popularity with each passing day.

[gulliver]

11. Sharon saw Bush's weakness.

Bush has no leverage with Sharon. Sharon is calling the shots for the United States, because Bush will do anything to stay in the White House.

[Mari333]

13. Bad move, appealing to the religious reich, appealing to

jewish voters, putting our troops into worse harm then ever in his quest for votes.
bad bad move, like throwing gas on the fire already in Iraq.
www.empirenotes.org tells of the anger this causes in Iraq
bad bad move, appealing for votes from the extremist right wing fundies
http://www.againstbombing.com/ArmageddonUpdates.htm

bring the troops home now.

[teryang]

15. The defense contractors and big oil

...promote and finance pro-Israeli policies, think tanks, and lobby groups for their own geo-political and profit goals. Arming Israel with American dollars benefits the defense industry. Big oil benefits from mid-east instability assured by Israeli expansionism and aggressive policies. Israel wants Iraq and Iran crushed as the potential regional powers of the future that stand in its way. Big oil for its own reasons, to re-establish their former proprietary holdings nationalized in those countries agrees.

Blaming the "Israeli lobby" is tunnel vision unless you perceive that it is the public face of two powerful domestic constituencies that support the bush family dynasty.

[keithyboy]

17. Don't worry, we will pay bit time!!

The blood be on their hands!

[tinnypriv]

19. Hooray for James Bennet

Covers a story the Israeli (Hebrew) press gave front page notice to, yesterday. Better than nothing, I suppose. :eyes:

Also, he has to hook it to the spokesman of Sharon, who doesn't give the proper details (nor does Bennet).

You can read all this in more detail, here:

http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2004/4/15/0511/79401/120#120

In case anybody wants the front page stories:

[aprilgirl]

21. Can it be any plainer than this?

http://search.netscape.com/ns/boomframe.jsp?query=Sharon+the+Jews+control+America&page=1&offset=0&result_url=redir%3Fsrc%3Dwebsearch%26requestId%3D6d10d4c674e38df0%26clickedItemRank%3D3%26userQuery%3DSharon%2Bthe%2BJews%2Bcontrol%2BAmerica%26clickedItemURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.payk.net%252FmailingLists%252Firan-news%252Fhtml%252F2003.1%252Fmsg01243.html%26invocationType%3D-%26fromPage%3DNSCPIndex2%26amp%3BampTest%3D1&remove_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.payk.net%2FmailingLists%2Firan-news%2Fhtml%2F2003.1%2Fmsg01243.html

Richard Perle and the PNACers control This article is so revealing.

[tinnypriv]

22. Well

Uri's article is interesting, but forgive me for saying so, the rest of the linked site appears to be anti-semitic filth.

Furthermore, the "Jews control America" quote supposedly from Sharon is fabrication. The source was a Hamas website.

Sharon never said that, nor would he.

[lynx rufus]

23. I am certain Sharon has said this and worse among his familiars

The man knows no shame and he certainly has no problem asking for
more and more and more from the US - always under totally
unreasonable terms. I think even I might be amazed at some of the shit he says in private.

[tinnypriv]

24. Be as certain as you like

But the quote is fabrication.