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Bush wants to end Israeli hold
10/01/2008 22:28 - (SA)
Jerusalem - US President George W Bush on Thursday called for an end to the 40-year Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and for the two sides to make the tough choices needed for a peace deal.
"There should be an end to the occupation that began in 1967," Bush told reporters in Jerusalem after holding talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on a landmark visit to the region.
"Now is the time to make difficult choices," he said.
"The agreement must establish a Palestine as a homeland for the Palestinian people just as Israel is a homeland for the Jewish people."
Bush, who will head to a string of allied Arab countries after leaving Israel on Friday, called on Arab countries to reach out to the Jewish state created nearly 60 years ago.
"I call upon the Arab countries to reach out to Israel, a step that is long overdue," Bush said.
Deal seen within a year
He reiterated that a deal establishing a Palestinian state could be sealed within a year.
"The establishment of a state of Palestine is long overdue. The Palestinian people deserve it, and it will enhance the stability of the region, and it will contribute to the security of the people of Israel. A peace agreement should happen and can happen by the end of this year."
"Security is fundamental. No agreement and no Palestinian state will be born of terror. I reaffirm America's steadfast commitment to Israel's security.
He said that any final deal will have to modify the so-called Green Line, Israel's borders before the 1967 Six Day War in which the Jewish state captured the West Bank and east Jerusalem from Jordan, Gaza and Sinai from Egypt and the Golan Heights from Syria.
"While territory is an issue for both parties to decide, I believe that any peace agreement between them will require mutually agreed adjustments to the armistice lines of 1949 to reflect current realities and to insure that the Palestinian state is viable and contiguous."
As part of efforts to establish the Palestinian state, he called for new mechanisms to resolve the issue of the Palestinian refugees.
"I believe we need to look to the establishment of a Palestinian state and new international mechanisms including compensation to resolve the refugee issue."
Roadmap blueprints
He also called on both parties to adhere to their obligations under the 2003 international roadmap blueprint.
"On the Isreali side, that includes ending settlement expansion and removing unauthorised outposts," he said. "On the Palestinian side, that includes confronting terrorists and dismantling terror infrastructure."
Bush, on his first visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories since assuming office in 2001, will return at least once more before his term ends in January 2009, national security adviser Stephen Hadley said.
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