|
Occupied Jerusalem: At the start of his visit to the region, President George W. Bush told Israel to dismantle unauthorised settlements and demanded a stop on Palestinian rocket fire.
"We've been talking about it for four years. The agreement was, 'Get rid of outposts, illegal outposts,' and they ought to go,"' Bush said on his first visit to Israel as president.
Israel has 120 settlements in the occupied West Bank, and it announced plans to build hundreds of new homes east of Occupied Jerusalem.
Bush also acknowledged doubts about whether he can clinch a Middle East peace deal by the end of his presidency in January, 2009.
"I'm under no illusions," Bush said at a news conference Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. "It's going to be hard work."
Olmert said Israel would not accept a peace agreement unless there is a halt to rocket attacks from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
"As long as there will be terror from Gaza, it will be very, very hard to reach any peaceful understanding between us and the Palestinians," he said.
On Wednesday, Palestinian militants in Gaza bombarded southern Israel with rocket fire. Bush is due in the occupied West Bank on Thursday to question Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas about it.
|
