US signals better relations with Israel
WASHINGTON — The United States signaled Sunday strained relations with Israel were on the mend, announcing White House talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu early next month and backing him to the hilt over his plans to ease a four-year blockade of the Gaza Strip. The July 6 meeting between Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama, announced by the White House, will also provide the leaders with an opportunity to inject some fresh momentum into the moribund Middle East peace process. Damaged by a row over Jewish settlements in east Jerusalem and the West Bank, the state of the all-important US-Israel relationship was placed under the microscope by the deadly raid on May 31 on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla. Israel on Thursday bowed to international pressure and agreed to loosen restrictions on what goods are allowed in and out of the Palestinian enclave, fleshing out those proposals on Sunday. The United States was fulsome in its praise for the plans, saying they “should improve life for the people of Gaza” and pledging US assistance to make sure they are implemented as quickly as possible. Source: The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100622com7.html |
|
0 comments
Post a Comment