Bush calls for contiguous, sovereign and independent Palestinian state

US President George W Bush has said Israel must end its occupation of some Arab land to enable the creation of a viable Palestinian state.

He also urged a solution to the issue of Palestinian refugees that would involve paying them compensation. It is thought to be Mr Bush's strongest public statement pressing Israel to give up land it seized in the 1967 war.



He was speaking in Jerusalem following two days of separate talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. He has been trying to encourage the two sides into peace talks, and says he wants a peace deal signed by the time he leaves office in January 2009.

Mr Bush said in a statement: "It is vital that each side understands that satisfying the other's fundamental objectives is key to a successful agreement."

He said this would require:

A secure recognised and defensible borders for Israel

A viable, contiguous, sovereign and independent Palestinian state

He added: "Agreement must establish Palestine as a homeland for the Palestinian people just as Israel is a homeland for the Jewish people."

Article from the BBC

The saying 'give a million monkeys a million typewriters and a thousand years and they'll give you Shakespeare' comes to mind. Well it appears that if you give George Bush enough time eventually he will say something sensible! It is a rare, yet notable occasion when this site gives praise to this current U.S. President but this is one such occasion. Will his words bring forth change... almost certainly not, but we will see...

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