George W. Bush had made it clear in his message: Israel must end the occupation of Arab land in order for a Palestinian state to be created. In addition to this message, he urged officials to create a solution to the issue of Palestinian refugees, including paying them compensation.
So far, this is thought to be his strongest public message to put pressure on Israel to give up land it had seized in the 1967 war. Bush spoke in Jerusalem during two days of separate talks with both Israeli and Palestinian leaders would follow afterwards.
In his statement, Bush said: “These negotiations must ensure that Israel has secure recognized and defensible borders and they must ensure that the state of Palestine is viable, contiguous, sovereign and independent.
“It is vital that each side understands that satisfying the other’s fundamental objectives is key to a successful agreement.
“Security for Israel and viability for a Palestinian state are in the mutual interests of both parties.”
Bush also added: “Agreement must establish Palestine as a homeland for the Palestinian people just as Israel is a homeland for the Jewish people.”
He did not give precise details on how the final agreement should be made. But, he had set out the details in the statement on how he expected negotiations to work.
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