THE Bush Administration made tough demands on the Israelis and Palestinians yesterday as it sought to bolster Arab support for its war on terrorism by pledging to engage fully in the Middle East peace effort.

Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, set out a vision of Israeli and Palestinian states peacefully coexisting, but told both sides in the bluntest terms that to achieve it they would have to accept some “fundamental truths”.

He told the Israelis that they had to be ready to end their occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in accordance with UN resolutions. He told them to stop building Jewish settlements in those territories, to stop killing Palestinian children and to end the humiliation of their parents.

He told the Palestinians that they had unambiguously to accept the legitimacy of the Jewish state, immediately end all violence and incitement, and recognise that the only way they could ever achieve their goals was through peaceful negotiation.
[read more]