Former diplomats attack Bush

[Classical_Liberal]

Former diplomats attack Bush


04 May 2004 07:19
Fifty-three former United States diplomats on Tuesday accuse the White House of sacrificing America's credibility in the Arab world -- and the safety of its diplomats and soldiers -- because of the Bush administration's support for the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon.

The strongly worded rebuke, which paid tribute to last week's broadside from more than 50 former British diplomats against the government's policy in Iraq, marked a rare public display of dissent for state department personnel.

Its central charge that the Bush administration is unfairly tilted towards Sharon arrives at a time when Washington's strategy in the Middle East is in tatters. George Bush has invested heavily in Sharon's proposal for an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and gone a step further by endorsing a continued Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank.

The overwhelming rejection of the proposal by Likud voters on Sunday was seen in Washington on Monday as a direct snub to Bush. But the White House reaffirmed its support for Sharon......

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