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U.S. shifts stance on W. Asia

By Conal Urquhart— © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

TEL AVIV, AUG. 23. The U.S. was yesterday accused by Palestinian leaders of destroying hopes for peace in West Asia by giving its covert support to Israel's expansion of settlements in the West Bank.

American officials are privately admitting that they have abandoned their demands that Israel freeze settlement activity, and have given Jerusalem tacit permission to build thousands of new homes on the disputed land.

Palestinians fear that the expansion of settlements will make it impossible to establish a viable state on the land Israel took from Jordan in the 1967 war.

'Grave development'

Ahmed Qurei, the Palestinian Prime Minister, said the U.S. position would destroy the peace process, and Amr Moussa, Secretary General of the Arab League, said America's unilateral redrawing of the road map was "a very grave development".

Publicly, the U.S. still upholds the road map, which calls for a freeze on all settlement activity, including natural growth.

But the administration, partly out of frustration with the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, has adopted a position more sympathetic to Israel.

The U.S. has effectively endorsed the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon's view of the division of the West Bank.

Mr. Sharon believes Israel should pull out of Gaza and keep the large settlement blocks such as Ariel, Gush Etzion and Ma'ale Adumim.

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