Text of Bush, Abbas at White House

Wichita Eagle ^ | 7-25-03

[joesnuffy]

welcome to the twighlight zone

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

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We are particularly grateful for the $20 million of direct assistance to Palestinian Authority. And we hope that this assistance increases and is enshrined in legislation.

We have succeeded significantly, where Israel, with its military might, has failed in reducing violence. And we will continue.

movement needs to be made in terms of freeing prisoners, lifting the siege on President Arafat, Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian areas and easing up freedom of movement to Palestinians.

Some steps have been taken by Israel so far, but these steps remain hesitant.

For the sake of peace and for the sake of future Palestinian and Israeli generations, all settlement activities must be stopped now and the wall must come down.

BUSH: Good job, Mr. Prime Minister.

=========================

If Israel’s going ahead with the road map, it’s time to build the fence higher.

[Brian S]

From the Bush opening statements:

In our talks this morning, Prime Minister Abbas and I covered a range of issues. We discussed the impact on the Palestinian people of the limits on their freedom of movement, and the need to reduce the network of checkpoints and barriers.

Prime Minister Abbas shared his concerns about Israeli settlements, confiscation of land and the building of a security fence.

He also expressed his strong desire to see the release of many more Palestinian prisoners. We will continue to address these issues. We will address them carefully and seriously with the Palestinian and Israeli officials. We will work to seek solutions.

Confiscation huh? How about "securing" palie land from murdering terrorists?

The President amazes me with "something new" everyday!

[Bahbah]

"welcome to the twighlight zone"

No kidding. Well put.

[SJackson]

Prime Minister Abbas shared his concerns about Israeli settlements, confiscation of land and the building of a security fence.

Confiscation, sure, it means Israel gets to keep the land to the west of the fence. That's not what Arafat's map looks like.

[LarryM]

Just like they said Clinton was our first black President, GW Bush is going to be our first PLO President. Way to go Goerge W. Arafat!

[Binyamin]

Well said.

President Bush supporting & financing & rewarding arab muslim terrorism against Israel in his own words.

[lilylangtree]

Points of interest:

1. "grateful for the $20 million of direct assistance to Palestinian Authority. And we hope that this assistance increases and is enshrined in legislation."

2. "first Palestinian prime minister and he is proving to be such a leader."

3. "We have succeeded significantly, where Israel, with its military might, has failed in reducing violence."

4. "outcome must correspond with your vision . . . achieving a peace that will end the occupation that started in 1967, the establishment of a sovereign, independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital and a just, agreed solution of the refugee question on the basis of U.N. Resolution 194.

5. "settlement activities in Palestinian land and construction of the so-called separation wall on confiscated Palestinian land continue, we might soon find ourselves at a situation where the foundation of peace, a free Palestine state living side-by-side in peace and security in Israel, is a factual impossibility."

Re #1, $20 million is a drop in the bucket because palis want more and thru legislation will be an everlasting grab of taxpayers money. How much will araRAT get for his personal coffers?

Re #2, To whom?

Re #3, How have Abbas and the other terrorist groups succeeded where Israel failed?

Re #4, Bye, bye Israel! These come straight out of the Islamic Beirut Conference of 2001 where the heads of the Islamic countries refused Israel the right to attend since the issue was the palestinians and where to put them. Noted was Syria's demand to place in the minutes that Syria wouldn't accept any resettlement of palis within the Syrian borders. araRAT was welcomed to attend the conference but refused because Israel wouldn't let him back in. The conference's basic foundation was to condemn Israel the right of existence because several weeks later these same islamic heads met in Indonesia to discuss the definition of terrorism. These heads of state, intellectual beings that they are, and sponsors of terrorism couldn't come up with a definition so they fell back on the same old tired theme of condemning Israel the right to exist.

Re #5, even Abbas recognizes the land belongs to Israel. Note "free Palestine state living side-by-side in peace and security in Israel".

[Binyamin]

"BUSH: First of all on the wall, let me talk about the wall. I think the wall is a problem."

It's only a "problem" for you and the terrorists President Bush. It's not a "problem" for the Jews whose lives it saves from arab muslim terrorists.

[DannyTN]

The walls will go up at least some and then they will come down in order for the following to be fulfilled.

Ezekiel 38:11 - And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,

[pitinkie]

Please put me on the ping list!

[My2Cents]

It's not your fault, but I knew this post would attract the naysayers. It's fine to cast doubt upon Bush's "roadmap" (I'm not very optimistic it will succeed), but it's really the only thing going right now. Other than to ethnically-cleanse the west bank and Gaza with carpet bombs, what would the naysayers suggest as an alternative policy? It's way too easy being critical. I usually read these Arab/Israeli threads, and I don't recall ever hearing any practical alternative to Bush's policies. The naysayers here are about as bad as the Democrat candidates for President. All nay-say, all the time, and never a positive alternative.

[Catspaw]

Let me know when I should stop grinding my teeth.

[SJackson]

Since Israel has agreed to the road map, alternatives are a bit off the point, however the Elon plan is a viable alternative (and transfer isn't mandatory, it's voluntary with financial incentives, or Jordanian/palestinian citizenship if they stay), or a unilateral separation providing Israel with defensible borders and a barrier (fence?), which might be where we're heading.

The problem I see emerging is GWB divergence from his plan, and the road map.

Fences aren't a part of the plan.

Prisoner releases aren't a part of the plan.

Terror infrastructure was to be dismantled. The hudna isn't a part of the plan, nor is Israel party to it.

Arafat is running things, Mazen acknowledges that. That wasn't part of the Bush plan, though it's OK in the road map. IMO, and GWBs too, negotiating with terrorists won't work.

The PA will be an islamic state, not a democracy, it's in their constitution. That's not part of the plan.

Incitement is to stop, throughout the Arab world. It's not, and we're saying nothing.

Unfortunately, even here in it's early stages, the road map isn't being followed. Are we giving a forceful message behind the scenes, I can't know, but I don't see the results, so I presume we're conveying an image of weakness to the Arab world. That's not going to get them to give up their long term objective of destroying Israel and expelling the Jews from the middle east. Unfortunately, no one wants to confront the ugly reality of the Arab world.

Personally, if he's going down this road, I'd rather see GWB negotiate with Arafat. If this is really the "double secret plan" (give them a state, let them kill Jews, then destroy them) that some Freepers claim, then the message of his impending demise needs to be presented to Arafat clearly and directly. Maybe he'd listen.

[SJackson]

When you take the bite plate out.

[My2Cents]

Now that you mention it, I've heard of the Elon plan. It's intriguing, but would Jordan agree to absorb the Arabs in the West Bank (or Egypt the Arabs in Gaza, for that matter)? Personally, I think Israel should have negotiated the return of the West Bank to Jordan a long time ago. By far, I prefer this "two-state solution" -- Israel and Jordan.

[SJackson]

Israel should never have been pressured to return the Sinai without settling the refugee issue. Probably the most geographically feasable proposal for a state consisted of southern Gaza and a contiguous portion of the Sinai encompassing Al Arish. Won't happen now. But you're right, peace with either Egypt or Jordan is impossible without resolution of the refugee problem. IMO, they should be settled where they are, in Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon, not returned to the West Bank if a state does break out.

The alternative (I don't think Jordan would agree either, but they could be prodded) would be a unilateral separation, creating a state in Gaza and part of the West Bank. Terrorists expelled, peaceful palestinians stay where they are, but are citizens of the new "palestine", rather than Jordan, but not Israel.

[My2Cents]

Israel should never have been pressured to return the Sinai without settling the refugee issue.

You're 100% correct. I don't know the history of it, but they probably thought that if they negotiated in good faith, got an initial agreement with Egypt, that would be followed by good faith efforts to solve the refugee problem. My sense, though, is that many of the people in the West Bank, and perhaps Gaza, aren't "refugees," but Arabs from other Arab nations attracted by Israel's economy. "The Palestinian People" is something of a myth.

[SJackson]

I don't know the history of it...

Think, the diplomatic skills of Jimmy Carter. The objective then was a "peace treaty", like Israel's at peace with Egypt, but in fact it was really about the return of the Sinai. Lasting peace then, as now, involved a change in the Arab mindset, not something easily dealt with in the short term.

Of course you have the bonus of a Nobel Prize for Jimmy, plus billions in aid to maintain Israel's military at a level that they could cope with the geographic disadvantage, and to Egypt to allow them to build their military to the point that they could try in again in a few decades.

It's off topic, but the Saudi-Egyptian forces are becoming, on paper, formidable. The IAF views their combined air wing as a mechanical equal (just need to train the pilots to do something other than flying into buildings).

The road map, similar. The real goal isn't "peace", that would require confronting Egypt, Syria and the Saudis, rather a "state", which can be accomplished, leaving the problems for another day.