All eyes are upon the tiny country of Israel this month, as President Bush, Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon run down the so-called “road map” for peace in the Middle East.
At the heart of this, President Bush and his Mideast team are in a long line of previous administrations who attempted to coordinate peace in Israel. There is a question of whether it is the United States government’s role to be involved in coordinating peace in other countries, but a precedent has already been set. A U.S. president is always frowned upon if he takes a “hands-off” approach to that region, as we can see in the criticisms of President Bush in the first half of his administration due to his lack of involvement with Israel.
Now the president is attempting to coordinate what no one else has been able to accomplish – a State of Palestine and a State of Israel: “The Holy Land must be shared between the State of Palestine and State of Israel living in peace with each other.” President Bush also said on Wednesday that he is committed to a “vibrant, Jewish state.”
There is much support around the world for this peace initiative. In America, James Zogby’s Arab American Institute has joined with Americans for Peace Now in an effort to make the “road map to peace” successful.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is a strong supporter of the plan. When President Bush met with him on Tuesday, Mubarak said, “President Bush gave impetus to the peace process by his vision of two states, Israel and Palestine, living in peace and security. This vision means that, alongside the existing state of Israel, a new state for the Palestinians will emerge.”
Mubarak also stated that Egypt welcomes the “road map rising from this vision … especially since it has been accepted by both the Israeli and Palestinian governments. We particularly express our appreciation for President Bush’s strong personal commitment for its full implementation.”
Jordan King Abdullah II has said that he is encouraged by the peace summit: “I was encouraged because of the strong commitment of the President of the United States to see this through to the end and willingness to take a lot of risk to do so.”
However, the road to a “vibrant” Israel seems to be hitting a few potholes.
A senior member of the terrorist group Hamas said on Friday that he is ceasing talks with the Palestinians. The two sides were in talks of ceasing hostilities toward Israel and her citizens, but apparently the Hamas spokesman didn’t agree with the peace talks with Israel.
Still, Palestinian Cabinet Minister Ziad Abu Amr blamed Israel’s killing of two Hamas terrorists in the West Bank for Hamas breaking the ceasefire talks. Hamas is expected to keep up its homicide bombings, thus making the situation even more volatile.
And still there are at least two more key problems with the plan of peace:
First, Arafat is still the main force behind the Palestinian government. The Associated Press reported on Thursday, “While Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas flew around the region in recent days, meeting with Arab leaders, President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Yasser Arafat sat in his mostly destroyed office – directing his premier every step of the way, Palestinian officials said.” According to the report, Arafat was furious to see his deputy taking the stage with President Bush and Ariel Sharon at the peace summit in Aqaba, Jordan.
Peace will not be achieved in Israel with Yasser Arafat in charge. The man has a deep hatred for Jews and has founded many terrorist organizations, two being the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and the Fatah. He doesn’t want peace; he doesn’t want a Palestinian State. He wants all the Jews driven into the Mediterranean Sea – he has said this many times.
This leads us into the second problem: terrorists. The so-called “Bush Doctrine” is something the president touted after the Sept. 11 attacks, saying that if you are a terrorist, you hide a terrorist, you feed a terrorist, you harbor or protect a terrorist, then the United States will bring you to justice. The Palestinian cause is still being run by Arafat, a terrorist! Though the face of the Palestinians has changed, we are still dealing with terrorists at the root of the government. You read it yourself: When Israel killed Hamas terrorists, the Palestinian government blamed its problems on Israel.
Unfortunately, I doubt that true peace in the Middle East is not something man can accomplish, but while you’re trying, remember the “Bush Doctrine” against terrorism, Mr. President.
