To: Texasforever
- CRAWFORD, Texas, April 26 (AFP) - An impatient President George W. Bush on Friday told Israel to halt its incursions into Palestinian areas "now"
- "(The) Israelis understand my position. I've been very clear and there has been some progress, but it's now time to quit it altogether; it's time to end this," Bush said, making his second such appeal in two days.
- The comments came one day after Bush's talks with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, in which the two leaders discussed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its implications for US relations with Arab countries.
- Bush spoke amid signs of a rift within his foreign policy team, as several State Department officials admitted privately they were demoralized by administration infighting over the Middle East.
- Pressure from the White House meanwhile, prompted Congress to delay legislation which branded Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat a "terrorist" after Bush aides said it could hamper their peace efforts.
- Bush first called for an end to the incursions, which Sharon's government says are targeting suicide bombers, on April 4, but later said he was satisfied with Israel's limited withdrawal.
- The White House said Friday that Crown Prince Abdullah had presented Bush with an eight point list of Middle East peace objectives.
- "There is a feeling that we are directionless, and that has created a lot of resentment and some anger," said one official, referring to a "generally gloomy mood" at the State Department as it battles the White House and Pentagon for control of Middle East policy.
![A wounded Israeli is carried into a Jerusalem hospital after Saturday's shooting at a Jewish settlement in the West Bank.](http://i.cnn.net/cnn/2002/WORLD/meast/04/27/mideast/story.mideast.ap.jpg)
Where are your facts???? What do you base your opinions on???
To: Democrats are liars
My "opinions" are based on the time line as it unfolded. Those are facts. Bush is now saying "Israel you had your chance, we backed your right of self-defense in the world court of opinion, and you squandered it, Since you are satisfied with keeping Arafat in a building with the lights cut off I have better things to do than run interface for you?. That is what he is saying, and by God I agree with him. I do not support Israel on religious grounds and do not believe we have a Biblical requirement to support them. I do not support Israel for some hidden collective guilt of the Holocaust. I support Israel because they have been brave in the defense of their homeland . I respect them as a nation but their destiny is theirs and theirs alone. A nation unwilling to do what it takes to survive will not. The ball is in the court of Sharon and the Israelis.
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