March 23, 2008 Israel has Right to
Defend
against Rocket Attacks: Cheney
Jerusalem
US Vice President Dick Cheney Saturday vowed that Washington would
never push Israel on security issues, and said Israel had the right
to defend itself against rocket attacks from Palestinian militants.
In remarks after meeting Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert, Cheney said
that the US commitment to Israel's security and defence against
terrorism was "unshakeable".
"The US will never pressure Israel to take steps that threaten its
security," Cheney said.
Cheney restated US President George W. Bush's commitment to "his
vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side
by side in peace and security".
Cheney noted that pursuit of peace involves sacrifice, citing the
history of Israel and adding: "I have no doubt that this is equally
the case with Palestinians."
"Reaching the necessary agreement will require tough decisions and
painful concessions by both sides, but America is committed to
moving the process forward," Cheney said.
The US vice president will be meeting Sunday with Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Ramallah
in the West Bank.
"We want to see a resolution to the conflict, an end to the
terrorism that has caused so much grief to Israelis, and a new
beginning for the Palestinian people," Cheney said.
Israel is Cheney's last stop on a 10-day journey through the Middle
East that has included stops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
On Friday in Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia urged
Cheney to pressure Israel to seal a peace deal with the Palestinians
before Bush leaves office in January 2009.
The US has admonished both Israel and the Palestinians that the
peace process was unsustainable without improvements from either
side, and Cheney's trip is seen as an attempt to move along the
talks.
The first talks in seven years have stalled because of the flare up
of violence in recent weeks between the Israeli military and
Palestinian Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has criticized Israeli plans
to build new settlements in occupied portions of the West Bank as
violations of the so-called roadmap to piece charted by the US,
Russia, the UN and the European Union.
The Palestinians have said they will not resume negotiations until
Israel declares an end to settlement activity.
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