Sharon expecting a Bush 'attaboy'
Both sides see the Gaza plan as the best way to move toward peace with the new Palestinian leadership, so neither wants much attention paid to the two nations' disagreements on the scope of Israeli settlements, Israel's hold on Jerusalem, and the coordination of security needs.
Thanks to a script for the meeting that was carefully prepared weeks ago, these issues will appear only on the fringes of the daylong visit by Sharon, a rancher himself, at the Crawford setting that is reserved for the closest of allies.
"The idea is that two ranchers will meet to discuss things important to them, things in common, like Gaza," said Sharon aide Rannan Gissen. "It doesn't help either of them to focus on the negative."
The intricacies of the settlement issue, however, mean it can't be ignored completely. Under pressure from the Palestinians and key European allies, including Britain, the White House is expected to criticize Sharon for recent statements by some of his ministers that Israel will build more houses around sensitive areas in Jerusalem.
"I've raised the issue of settlement expansions publicly. What I say publicly, I say privately. The road map has clear obligations on settlements, and that we expect the prime minister to adhere to those road map obligations," Bush said.
The bigger picture, however, is that U.S.-Israeli relations remain rock solid. The visit to the ranch, the first for Sharon despite his 10 other U.S. visits during the Bush presidency, is designed to highlight that.
The White House considers Sharon's Gaza withdrawal plan as the best hope to end the deadlock in the Middle East peace process. The plan would be an historic step, as it would mark the first time Jewish settlements would be dismantled from land Palestinians want as a state.
Bush has made diplomatic leaps to help Sharon move the plan forward.
Last year, Bush broke with decades of American diplomacy by announcing that any final peace deal made between Israel and the Palestinians would have to take into account "realities on the ground," an indication that Israel would be able to keep some of its settlements in the West Bank.
Sharon has used this to garner support for the Gaza plan among right-wingers in his ruling Likud Party, which has traditionally supported settlement activity.
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