A leading Israeli author called on the
United States to withdraw its ambassador from Tel Aviv.
A.B. Yehoshua, a left-leaning novelist who has flouted
convention for decades, published an Op-Ed in Italy's
La Stampa newspaper over the weekend in which
he accused President Bush of being too lax in tackling
Israel's failure to raze illegal West Bank settler outposts
as required by the "road map" for peace with the
Palestinians.
"If the U.S. president really wanted Israel to dismantle the
illegal settlement outposts, it would behoove him to stay in
the White House and provide medical insurance for his citizens.
It would be best for him to recall his ambassador in Tel Aviv
indefinitely for consultations, until the evacuation of the
settlement outposts," Yehoshua wrote.
"I can promise you that if he were to do this, the
Israeli government would very quickly dismantle the
illegal setter outposts, and the U.S. administration would
gain the trust of the Palestinians and the Israelis in
resuming the peace process."
Yehoshua further described all West Bank
settlements as illegal and described the "Jewish lobby"
as having "become a powerful tool of influence on Israel's
behalf within the U.S. administration."
The comments were reprinted in Sunday's Yediot
Achronot and stirred anger in Israel, where many
consider the United States to be their only reliable ally.
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