(New York Times) The Bush administration has decided to rescind $289.5 million in American-backed loan guarantees for Israel as a punishment for construction activities in the West Bank, the Israeli Embassy in Washington announced Tuesday. An embassy spokesman said Israel had agreed to deduct the amount from the $3 billion in loan guarantees due this year. A White House spokesman said the Bush administration welcomed what Israel had done, and expressed gratitude for its acknowledgment that its activities in the West Bank were inconsistent with American policy. The agreement on the figure was worked out Tuesday at a meeting between top Bush administration officials and Dov Weisglass, Prime Minister Sharon's chief of staff.
2003-11-26 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive