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No Commission

Bush team faults Israel, Palestinians for not preparing public for peace

Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Tuesday, January 23, 2001

JERUSALEM — Israel believes that the Bush administration will change U.S. tactics in achieving an Arab-Israeli peace accord.

Israeli officials said that in talks with the new administration they have been told that the White House will stress the need for Arab and Israeli efforts to prepare the people for peace. The officials said Bush aides assert that neither the Palestinians nor the Arab nations have prepared their people for peace with Israel.

Yoram Ben Zeev, head of the Israeli Foreign Ministry's North American department, said he heard considerable criticism from the new administration regarding the policies of President Bill Clinton. The U.S. officials said Clinton aides did not properly prepare for U.S. mediation efforts in talks between Israel and Syria and Israel and the Palestinians.

But Ben Zeev said Bush will not disregard the Clinton peace plan submitted to Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The Foreign Ministry official said the United States will base future peace accords on the Clinton proposals.

The Bush administration is also examining the new regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad and its willingness to resume peace talks with Israel. The administration is said to have set as a priority an Israeli-Syrian accord.

Israeli sources said that key appointments in the State Department and Pentagon are familiar to Israel. They include Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and those expected to fill key posts such as Edward Djerejian, Paul Wolfowitz and Dov Zakheim.

Israeli officials said the White House will be briefed on the Israeli-Palestinian talks this week in Taba.

Tuesday, January 23, 2001

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