Sharon on collision course with America - 9/11

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 09:05:12 GMT

Washington's new initiative in the Middle East threatens to transform the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, from a Bush administration ally into an unyielding obstacle. It could also threaten his national unity government. The Bush administration's initiative for the Middle East, which the secretary of state Colin Powell had been due to unveil before it was shelved because of the September 11 attacks - envisages Jerusalem as a shared capital for an Israeli and a Palestinian state. This represents a dramatic departure for a Republican administration and is anathema for Mr Sharon, who has sworn never to yield any ground in the holy city, and who does not believe in a final peace settlement, but rather a series of interim deals.