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Politics in the Middle & Near East
RSS FeedCan Bush help promote peace among Palestinians and Israelis?
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| No | 78% | 175 votes | Total: 224 votes | |
| Yes | 22% | 49 votes |
No
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Add to FavoritesPresident George W. Bush is trying to build a legacy. I believe that to be his sole motivation in pushing for peace now, when the means for making peace are not feasible at this time. Peace at any cost seems to be the administration's view-point. It certainly is the unrealistic, and dangerous theme the U.S. State department under the rabid control of Condoleeza Rice runs by.
Forcing a peace wherein the Israelis must give up a great deal of its Biblical heartland...includin g half of its capitol with promises of security from "moderate" Muslims (Muslims who kill moderately?) whose only point of agreement is their unified hatred of Jews, is a bad idea.
Until the so-called "Palestinians" (a group of people that were just regular Iraqi or Egyptian Arabs prior to 1967 and Arafat's quite successful media branding) can cease their human rights violations against their OWN people...I.E. not only other Palestinian Muslims, but also against Arab Christians especially, I don't believe making peace with the Jews...a people their Koran says are doomed to the fires of hell is at all possible.
Not only this, but since Gaza has become Judenrein, (Jew free), Hamas has steadily built up an army and has acquired missiles much more deadly than the "home-made" Kassam rockets. They now have Katyusha rockets which can hit directly in major Israeli population centers such as Ashkelon. They continually fire these rockets on an almost daily basis...and Israel must act with "restraint" according to the U.S. in order for there to be peace.
I wonder just how the U.S. would react if the Native American communities...or the Hispanic communities decided that they were going to fire rockets into Oklahoma City, or Dallas...Houston.... Phoenix, Arizona etc.?
These are continued acts of war perpetrated by Hamas...a terrorist organization voted into office by a majority of normal, everyday "Palestinians."
I doubt seriously President Bush in all his arrogance and stupidity can really bring about a peace. And if he does...if I were an Israeli, I would figure it was time to give up and jump into the sea.
Learn more about this author, William Blesch.
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Yes
As was the case for another US President with a Middle East fiasco to his credit, shifting his attention to Palestinian-Israeli peace is probably George W. Bush's best opportunity to salvage a positive legacy for his presidency. Jimmy Carter was stymied by the Iranian student takeover of the US embassy in Tehran and despite various efforts to extricate the Americans, he failed to do so. Similarly, George W. Bush's terms in office have been overshadowed by regime change and violence in the Middle East, the difference being that Bush chose his conflict.
Because Bush chose to go to war in Iraq, he could chose to get out of it. However, Bush has an extremely difficult time acknowledging failures, so he should proclaim victory for the Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis by negotiating a partition and exiting Iraq. Even if that pill is too bitter to swallow, Bush could simply refocus on Palestine and Israel, allowing his successor to pursue exit strategies for Iraq.
Resolution of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict need not be so difficult. Israel has shown that it can negotiate with President Abbas and Fatah has the dominant position among Palestinians on the West Bank. America could provide financial incentives and arm twisting of Israel to make a comprehensive settlement with the West Bank Palestinians. Hamas and the Palestinians of Gaza will eventually come around to see the benefits of peace, once those benefits are obvious on the West bank. This is the "carrot" approach.
Pressure could be brought to bear on Hamas through other channels, including through Arab states and others (i.e. Iran, in exchange for cooperation elsewhere, such as Iraq and Afghanistan.) We need fresh ideas and new thinking to make breakthroughs. Certainly, the same old positions of neo-cons and cold war hold-overs will not bring amazing new developments. We need flexible thinking and innovation.
There is no other country with the leverage of the US with Israel. Peace between the Israelis and Palestinians is long overdue. Nearly all the world yearns for it. Yet, to date the G.W. Bush administration has been unwilling to put the political capital into play. Other issues have had higher priority.
What is wrong with our president that he cannot see that the Iraq War is a bottomless pit and that it is not winnable as it is being fought? Even if he refuses to see the truth on Iraq, Bush could chose to salvage a positive place in history by doing what it takes to bring a lasting peace to the West Bank. The next US president can then pick up the final parts to the puzzle with Hamas and Gaza.
Learn more about this author, Robert C. Sage.
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