The Bush vision continues to include a Palestinian state alongside Israel, according to White House spokesman Tony Fratto, even it won’t happen before he leaves office as he had hoped.
The confirmation came today in a presidential news briefing when Les Kinsolving, WND’s correspondent at the White House, brought up the issue.
“Time magazine’s January the 12th edition has the following sentence: ‘The Bush administration’s peace plan based on a Palestinian state and Israel living side by side is moribund.’ Does the Bush White House disagree with this?” Kinsolving asked.
“Yes,” said Fratt.
Reuters reports that in Bush’s farewell talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, his vision remained alive.
The president stated his desire for the ultimate creation of a democratic Palestinian state next to Israel – even though he admitted at the time reaching that goal would be up to the incoming president, Barack Obama.
In the final White House meeting with Olmert, Bush said, “I believe that vision is alive and needs to be worked on.”
In a second question, Kinsolving raised the issue of the Obama family request to move early into Blair House, which typically is used by an incoming president for a few days before the inauguration.
“For two successive days, the Washington Post reported that the only overnight guest at Blair House is former Australian Prime Minister John Howard in those 119 rooms, from which the Barack Obamas have been barred until Thursday. So as The New York Times reported, the Obamas… ” Kinsolving began.
“Lester, no one… ” interjected Fratto.
“… had to spend thousands of dollars for that suite at the Hay-Adams,” Kinsolving said.
“We’ve been through this many, many times,” Fratto said.
“I just wondered, does the Bush White House believe it was wrong for the Post and the Times to report that?” Kinsolving said.
“I’m not going to comment on their reporting. I think that we’ve explained the use of the Blair House a number of times. And I think we have a good understanding with the Obama family on that, and we look forward to them being here and being in the neighborhood,” Fratto said.
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