Reiterating the US long time stand, seen by Palestinians as “equating the victim and the victimizer,” US Secretary of State Colin Powell blamed the Palestinian leadership for not doing enough to stop the Palestinian Intifada, and Israel for use of force to quell the uprising.
"The West Bank uprising against Israeli occupation reflects the frustrations of the Palestinian people but will not solve their problems," Secretary of State Colin Powell told Egyptian TV Monday, quoted by The Associated Press.
"What we need to do is to end the violence, bring that period of violence to an end," "When that happens, I am quite sure you will see a response from the Israeli side."
He did not say what kind of response Israel would offer.
=Powell said he had told Palestinian President Yasser Arafat he needed to make a 100 percent effort to end the violence. "He and other Palestinian leaders have not done that so far," Powell said.
At the same time, Powell criticized Israel's use of force against Palestinians. "Israel's crackdown in response to Palestinian attacks has not helped move the conflict toward a cease-fire and new negotiations between the parties," Powell said.
Asked if he was preparing to unveil a new US peace initiative at the United Nations General Assembly next weekend, Powell said he was concentrating on recommendations from an international commission led by former US Sen. George Mitchell for restarting peace talks – Albawaba.com
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