The administration of US President George W. Bush has indicated it may support Israel's new proposal for a unilateral withdrawal from parts of Gaza and the West Bank, the New York Times said yesterday.
Citing unnamed US and Israeli officials, the newspaper said the administration is "taking a close look" at the policy, and that the president would send three senior aides to Israel next week to get questions answered before the proposal was endorsed.
But administration and Israeli officials say they expect a favorable US response, the report said.
In the past, the Bush administration has maintained that peace can be achieved in the Middle East only by reciprocal concessions agreed upon in negotiations between Israel and Palestinian officials.
Embracing Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan would depart from that principle by accepting the idea that such negotiations are not possible, at least for now, the Times said.
Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage said Thursday that a pullout from Gaza would be "a step in the right direction."
Another official said the withdrawal plan, if implemented properly, "could reduce friction between Israelis and Palestinians and improve Palestinian freedom of movement," the paper reported.
The Israeli plan calls for withdrawing Israeli troops and dismantling Jewish settlements in parts of Gaza and the West Bank.
US officials have previously expressed concern that it would in effect mean abandoning the idea of negotiating with Palestinian officials to achieve final statehood.
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