British Prime Minister Tony Blair told members of a Labour Party conference in Blackpool last Tuesday that is important to restart the Israeli-Palenstinian peace talks in light of the pending UN action against Iraq. He alluded to the UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, which together call for Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories and a dialogue for final resolution of the problem. He expressed concern over a double-standard in applying resolution to Iraq and Israel.
Almost no American sources carried this story, so we turn to some overseas outlets.
The Syndney Morning Herald provided this quote from Blair:
“The Palestinians living in increasingly abject conditions, humiliated and hopeless; Israeli civilians brutally murdered. I agree UN resolutions should apply here as much as to Iraq. But they don’t just apply to Israel. They apply to all parties.”
SMH provides fairly balanced coverage of the whole situtation.
The Jersusalem Post covers an aspect of the story not mentioned elsewhere: Israeli diplomats had publicly specualted that the US was encouraging Blair to make the link. It was a non-starter, with God and everyone denying it. The article points out that pulling Israel into the Iraq issue would complicate the Administration’s diplomatic efforts, and is last thing that the Bush Administration wants.
The Islamic Republic News Agency, the Iranian state news agency, covers the Arab response: a cool reception, with cynicism about Israeli and US motives abound.
a technology job is no excuse 