A matter of credibility
Same old story: US President George W Bush (L) and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas give a joint press conference on January 10 in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Picture: AFP
Sunday, January 13, 2008
US PRESIDENT George W Bush is in the region. He is here in an attempt to forge peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, a lasting peace as termed by many in his administration.
The people in the region were initially hopeful when Bush decided to get more directly involved in Middle East peacemaking efforts, noting that the decades-long conflict has given rise to terrorism and has poisoned public opinion towards the US administration throughout the region.
But judging from the outcome of his visit to Israel and the subsequent press releases, what's coming out is basically much of the same as before.
The Arabs must make hard choices; the Palestinians must control terror from within their borders and exercise restraint. And so it goes back to making hard choices. And restraint in the face of what? The continuous exploitation and illegal occupation of Palestinian lands and systematic abuse of the Palestinian people?
The ongoing building of new settlements on their property to be inhabited by transplanted Jews that are sure to point the way towards a just and lasting peace?
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stated that Israel is ready to accept the establishment of a Palestinian state only if Palestinians and the rest of the Arab world make their peace with Israel as a Jewish state. Thanking Bush for the US$30 billion in aid that was earmarked for Israel by the United States, Olmert made no mention as to what concessions were to be made by the Israelis themselves to achieve a common understanding. Neither was there any reference to the proposal by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for full diplomatic recognition in return for the rightful return of Palestinian lands seized during the 1967 aggression.
Standing alongside Olmert, Bush said any negotiation must also ensure Israel has secure, recognised and defensible borders alongside a viable, contiguous, sovereign and independent Palestine. He then perhaps diluted the intentions of his trip to the region. We also talked about Iran. Iran is a threat to world peace. I said then that Iran was a threat, Iran is a threat, and Iran will be a threat if the world doesn't come together to stop that country from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Notwithstanding the facts that are beginning to emerge on the latest concocted altercation between the Iranians and the US in the Strait of Hormuz, and which the Americans themselves are now beginning to admit, Bush continues his offensive against another regional country perceived by Israel to be a threat.
Has he come here to ask the Israelis to make hard choices and return lands that do not belong to them? Has he come up here to drive a wedge further between Palestinians by excluding Hamas from the ongoing discussions?
Or has he come here to drum up allies and form a coalition in another fabricated weapons of mass destruction scenario? Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the Israelis and Palestinians are going to be making peace anytime soon. Israel continues to resist basic peace process concessions as it has always been, and the Palestinians are weak and riven by disunity.
While the US has the political muscle to demand concessions from Israel, it will never do so. That is the feeling on the Arab street, and as long as that perception keeps getting reinforced by actions of Bush's administration toward the Arab world, the US presidents trip to this part of the world will lack any credibility toward a hopeful future.
Instead, it will simply be looked as another futile journey before his political tenure comes to an end.Arab News
The people in the region were initially hopeful when Bush decided to get more directly involved in Middle East peacemaking efforts, noting that the decades-long conflict has given rise to terrorism and has poisoned public opinion towards the US administration throughout the region.
But judging from the outcome of his visit to Israel and the subsequent press releases, what's coming out is basically much of the same as before.
The Arabs must make hard choices; the Palestinians must control terror from within their borders and exercise restraint. And so it goes back to making hard choices. And restraint in the face of what? The continuous exploitation and illegal occupation of Palestinian lands and systematic abuse of the Palestinian people?
The ongoing building of new settlements on their property to be inhabited by transplanted Jews that are sure to point the way towards a just and lasting peace?
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stated that Israel is ready to accept the establishment of a Palestinian state only if Palestinians and the rest of the Arab world make their peace with Israel as a Jewish state. Thanking Bush for the US$30 billion in aid that was earmarked for Israel by the United States, Olmert made no mention as to what concessions were to be made by the Israelis themselves to achieve a common understanding. Neither was there any reference to the proposal by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for full diplomatic recognition in return for the rightful return of Palestinian lands seized during the 1967 aggression.
Standing alongside Olmert, Bush said any negotiation must also ensure Israel has secure, recognised and defensible borders alongside a viable, contiguous, sovereign and independent Palestine. He then perhaps diluted the intentions of his trip to the region. We also talked about Iran. Iran is a threat to world peace. I said then that Iran was a threat, Iran is a threat, and Iran will be a threat if the world doesn't come together to stop that country from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Notwithstanding the facts that are beginning to emerge on the latest concocted altercation between the Iranians and the US in the Strait of Hormuz, and which the Americans themselves are now beginning to admit, Bush continues his offensive against another regional country perceived by Israel to be a threat.
Has he come here to ask the Israelis to make hard choices and return lands that do not belong to them? Has he come up here to drive a wedge further between Palestinians by excluding Hamas from the ongoing discussions?
Or has he come here to drum up allies and form a coalition in another fabricated weapons of mass destruction scenario? Unfortunately, it doesn't look like the Israelis and Palestinians are going to be making peace anytime soon. Israel continues to resist basic peace process concessions as it has always been, and the Palestinians are weak and riven by disunity.
While the US has the political muscle to demand concessions from Israel, it will never do so. That is the feeling on the Arab street, and as long as that perception keeps getting reinforced by actions of Bush's administration toward the Arab world, the US presidents trip to this part of the world will lack any credibility toward a hopeful future.
Instead, it will simply be looked as another futile journey before his political tenure comes to an end.Arab News
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