Surprise, General Jones Critical Report Of Israel Has Yet To Be Published

Two days ago I posted this article, "Is it Finally Time for Israel to Squirm" concerning General Jones's scathing report of Israel which was reported in Haartz. Now there is a report written by Pierre Tristam (posted below) which claims the Bush administration is holding up the publishing of that report.

But first, let's see how Mr. Gallegos of the US State Department responded when asked about why the report still has not been published:

QUESTION: There’s a report in the Middle East that General James Jones presented a report to Secretary Rice about the security situation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, and it was very critical to Israel. Do you have anything about this?
MR. GALLEGOS: Yeah. My understanding is that he is yet to publish a report. There are stories about drafts that have been released. The bottom line is the general has been there. He’s taken a look at the situation. He has the full support of the Secretary. We’re going to continue working through him and with him and we’ll see – ultimately see what is published.
QUESTION: Does the President have a decision made on whether the full report will be published and public?
MR. GALLEGOS: I don’t have any information on that (inaudible).
QUESTION: Is that under discussion at the moment?
MR. GALLEGOS: I’ll have to check. I don’t have anything on that.
QUESTION: Does the State Department have a position on whether it should be?
MR. GALLEGOS: I’ll have to check. (source)

Ah, but Israeli defense sources are in pre-emptive expectation mode, spinning the report before it is even published according to JPost:

While earlier media reports have claimed that the document will slam Israel for its policies in the territories, Israeli defense and diplomatic officials told The Jerusalem Post this week that the report would instead reflect the tension between Jones and another American security envoy operating in the region - Lt.-Gen. Keith Dayton.

"There is tension between Jones and Dayton," a senior defense official told the Post. "The report needs to be looked at as part of an American domestic power struggle and is less about Israel and its policies in the territories."

So are we to suspect the veracity of the report because according to Israeli officials it's really about one general trying to one up another in a turf war?

MALARKEY!

Now let's read what Tristam has to write about the situation:

Thin Red Line: Bush Blocking Report Critical of Israel's West Bank Policies

Read