Bush Backs Sharon's Gaza Settlement Plan

By Robert Siegel,

Published April 13, 2004 at 11:00 PM CDT

President George Bush strongly supports Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to keep control of some settlements as Israel pulls out of Gaza and parts of the West Bank, setting a new tone in U.S. Mideast policy.

Previous U.S.-brokered peace deals between Israel and the Palestinians have required the removal of all settlements. Bush also said Palestinian refugees should settle in a future Palestinian state, not in Israel -- a position leader Yasser Arafat says will end the peace process. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia also criticized Bush's statements.

NPR's Michele Kelemen reports. Hear NPR's Robert Siegel and Samuel Lewis, former ambassador to Israel.

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Robert Siegel

Prior to his retirement, Robert Siegel was the senior host of NPR's award-winning evening newsmagazine All Things Considered. With 40 years of experience working in radio news, Siegel hosted the country's most-listened-to, afternoon-drive-time news radio program and reported on stories and happenings all over the globe, and reported from a variety of locations across Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia. He signed off in his final broadcast of All Things Considered on January 5, 2018.

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Michele Kelemen

Michele Kelemen has been with NPR for two decades, starting as NPR's Moscow bureau chief and now covering the State Department and Washington's diplomatic corps. Her reports can be heard on all NPR News programs, including Morning Edition and All Things Considered.

See stories by Michele Kelemen