Israel Matzav

Arab League will attend Bush conference if Israel concedes Golan

Meeting in Cairo this week, the Arab League demanded that Israel concede the Golan Heights to Syria as a condition (precedent?) for its attending President Bush's proposed 'peace conference.'

The Arab League said yesterday that it would consider President George W. Bush's call for a Mideast conference in the fall to discuss the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, on the condition that Israel concede the Golan Heights to Syria.

Foreign ministers from 16 Arab states met in Egypt on Monday to discuss Middle East peace efforts. They praised elements of Bush's peace initiative, especially those related to "founding an independent Palestine state, his call for ending the Israeli settlements and ending the Israeli occupation," as the League's secretary-general, Amr Moussa, said.

"Peace cannot be completed without withdrawal from Syrian territory, so all the parties have to be there," Moussa said at a press conference in Egypt after meeting.

But even that wasn't enough for the Syrians, who stormed out of the Arab League meeting:

Syria, who sent represenative Youssef Ahmed instead of its foreign minister, rejected the consideration of Bush's proposal and eventually stormed out of the meeting.

"I expressed reservations about any form of welcome for what is called U.S. President George Bush's initiative because we in Syria believe that discussing the Palestinian issue in the meeting under the current state of Palestinian schism... would lead to killing off the Palestinian cause," Ahmed said.

He was later quoted as saying that "the suggested conference will liquidate the Palestinian cause."

But both Israel and the US continue to fall all over themselves trying to please these 'people' and promote their 'cause.' The leadership - Olmert-Barak-Livni and Bush-Condi - must be on drugs.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:40 PM