Bush in the Middle East

Bush was welcomed in Tel Aviv by an enthusiastic Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and both leaders praised the strong relationship between the United States and Israel in achieving mutual goals the region. Bush made a point of chiding Iran, one of Israel's most fervent enemies, for its recent harassment of American warships in the Strait of Hormuz, threatening a military response should the U.S. be provoked in the future. In a bid towards Israeli security, the U.S. has also said it will assist Egypt with securing its border with the Gaza Strip, where arms shipments are said to be flowing to the Hamas-controlled region.

While Bush told reporters he would not hesitate to pressure both Israelis and Palestinians to accept conditions laid out in the long-defunct road-map to peace created in 200?, Israeli and Palestinian journalists questioned whether or not the divisive president could be effective where his predecessors have not. In Israel, Bush said unauthorized Israeli settlements “ought to go,” in a statement echoed by his Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice. Most observers, however, including some Israeli officials, say that this is unlikely, noting that some settlement activity will undoubtedly continue.

In remarks in the West Bank city of Ramallah, where Bush met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Bush said the Palestinian Authority must crack down on all violence against Israel, including that being conducted from the Hamas-led Gaza Strip. To his credit, Bush acknowledged the difficulties in achieving such an objective, especially in less than one year.

The Palestinian response to Bush's visit was much as expected, with most skeptical the American president -- who in his first term promised an independent Palestinian state -- would be able to push forward negotiations with Israel in a substantive way.

FPA