WASHINGTON - US President George W. Bush on Tuesday urged Israel to "withdraw from the settlements" in Palestinian territories, leading his spokesman to clarify that he was not taking a harder line on the US ally.
Bush's comments came during a joint public appearance with Jordan's King Abdullah II, in response to a question about the role Washington hoped to play in efforts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"The role of the United States will be to continue to urge both parties to make the sacrifices necessary, sacrifice meaning that Israel must withdraw from the settlements, there must be contiguous territory for a Palestinian state, into which a Palestinian state can grow," said Bush.
"The Palestinians, in their part, must continue to work hard to fight any terrorist activities within the territories, and the Arab world must continue to work together to help Palestine build the necessary structures for democracy," said the president.
"What the president was referring to was the withdrawal plan that is being pursued by (Israeli) Prime Minister (Ariel) Sharon as well as the unauthorized outposts which the roadmap calls for Israel to remove," Bush spokesman Scott McClellan explained later.
Under the internationally drafted Middle East roadmap peace plan, the government is obliged to dismantle all unauthorised outposts that have been erected in the West Bank since Sharon took office in March 2001.
Sharon recently vowed that settlement activity would continue in the West Bank and Jerusalem despite his intentions to evacuate all Jewish communities in the occupied Gaza Strip by the end of this year.
03/15/2005 20:02 GMT