TEL AVIV: The US on Sunday was accused by Palestinian leaders of destroying hopes for peace in the Middle East by giving its covert support to Israel's expansion of controversial settlements in the West Bank.
American officials are privately admitting they have abandoned their demands that Israel freeze settlement activity, and given Israel tacit permission to build thousands of new homes on the disputed land.
Palestinians fear that the expansion of settlements will make it impossible to establish a viable state on the land Israel took from Jordan in the 1967 war. Ahmed Qorie, the Palestinian prime minister, said the US position would destroy the peace process, and Amr Moussa, secretary general of the Arab League, said America's unilateral redrawing of the road map was "a very grave development."
Publicly, the US still upholds the roadmap, which calls for a freeze on all settlement activity, including natural growth. But the administration has adopted a position more sympathetic to Israel.
The US has effectively endorsed Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon's view of the division of the West Bank. Mr Sharon believes Israel should pull out of Gaza and keep the large settlement blocks such as Ariel, Gush Etzion and Ma'ale Adumim.
The first indication of a shift in US policy happened in March when President George Bush and Mr Sharon exchanged letters. The Israeli leader said he planned to withdraw from settlements in Gaza and the northern West Bank and Mr Bush replied that the US recognized that the Israeli population centres (the large settlements) in the West Bank would remain Israeli and would not become part of a Palestinian state.
Then in a series of meetings between Israeli and US officials, particularly Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser, and Dov Weissglas, Mr Sharon's adviser, maps were drawn indicating where construction could take place.
The latest sign of a significant move came last week when Israel invited tenders to build more than 1,000 homes in the West Bank. The White House did not criticize the announcement.
A western diplomat said on Sunday: "The roadmap calls for a freeze in all settlement activity. End of story. "The Israelis have never accepted that and the US has tacitly agreed that their position has validity and has shown that limited building is permissible."
According to another European diplomat, the change in US policy is a "huge shift." "In these meetings the US has indicated areas where Israel cannot build. Israel has taken that to mean it is permissible to build in other areas. The US is effectively deciding how the West Bank will look in the future. It's a huge shift in policy," he added.
Jeff Halper, an Israeli political activist who specializes in Israel's control of the Palestinian territories, said: "Effectively a new roadmap has been drawn between the US and Israel which the United Nations, the European Union and Russia do not agree with."
A spokesman for the British embassy in Tel Aviv would not comment on the change. "Our policy is that we support the roadmap," he said. The European diplomat said the EU was "institutionally annoyed" at being excluded from discussions, but individual countries had not reacted angrily to the change.
The US-Israeli deals once again leave the Palestinians out of the negotiation process. Mr Qorie said he was waiting for confirmation of the shift in US policy, adding that he would be shocked if it were true. "I can't believe that America is now saying that settlement expansion is alright," he said. "This will destroy the peace process."
The roadmap was launched last year and President Bush said he would "ride herd" to make sure both parties honoured their commitments. By August the ceasefire had ended, but all parties continued to hold up the roadmap as the blueprint for peace. Over the last year, Israel has embarked on a large building programme in the West Bank.
Peace Now, an Israeli pressure group that monitors the settlements said a minimum of 3,700 homes were being built in the West Bank. The Israeli housing ministry has invited tenders for another 1,600 homes and infrastructure works are under way for a new settlement that will link Ma'ale Adumim with the eastern sector of Al Quds.
According to the European diplomat, the change in US policy stems from frustration with Mr Arafat and the Palestinians in not reforming the Palestinian Authority and preventing violence.
The administration is also furious with the Palestinians for not arresting those responsible for the killing of three American security guards in Gaza earlier this year. Israeli officials insist that the construction is all part of prior agreements.
Zalman Shoval, a former Israeli ambassador to the US and an adviser to Mr Sharon on foreign affairs, said that the roadmap was not breached by the West Bank construction, which was in line with previous agreements. "The new construction also does not negate the roadmap because our understanding, and also that of the US I think, was that it was performance-based. -Dawn/The Guardian News Service.
