Bush's upcoming Mideast visit won't include Olmert, Abbas talks
The president's 12-hour Jordan trip will focus on issues related to Iraq, not the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
By Aluf Benn and Haaretz CorrespondentThe White House has announced that George W. Bush is set to arrive in Jordan next week, but his itinerary will not include talks with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert or Palestinian Authority Chiarman Mahmoud Abbas.
According to the American announcement, the U.S. president will be minutes away from Jerusalem, by plane, and will not drop by. He did not even invite Olmert or Abbas for a meeting in Jordan, either together or apart from each other.
This decision is much more important than yet another clash between Israelis and Palestinians, or among Israelis themselves.
The official purpose of Bush's visit to the region is a meeting with the prime minister of Iraq, Nuri al-Maliki. The American administration would like "to expedite the transfer of security responsibility in Iraq to the local government," a code for the commencement of an American disengagement from the Bush military adventure in the Middle East.
His meeting with al-Maliki is reminiscent of the American exit from Vietnam, where the U.S. also began the "transfer of authority" to its surrogate in Saigon.
We can assume that Bush informed Olmert of his intentions to limit the American presence in Iraq during their meeting last week. That would explain Olmert's controversial statements regarding a rushed American pullout from Iraq that would "undermine stability" in the region.
From Israel's point of view, there is tremendous significance to the thinning American presence in the Middle East, at a time when Iran is getting stronger and is seeking to form a regional alliance against America and its allies.
However, what is lacking in the Bush visit is even more important than what it will entail. The White House informed the Prime Minister's Office Wednesday that the president will visit Jordan for 12 hours only, will concentrate on issues relevant to Iraq, and will not dedicate any time to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
It is not clear whether the Americans will keep this timetable. It may be that their cold behavior is meant to encourage Olmert and Abbas to meet, giving the impression of a diplomatic dialogue. Administration envoys David Welch and Elliot Abrams are due to visit Israel next week. Perhaps they will seek out a formula for a summit in Jordan, or they may just make do with a "maintenance" run, with no real results.
Two months ago, Bush considered coming to the region on a diplomatic mission, in an effort to restart the peace process. Last week, during a meeting with reporters in Washington, Olmert hinted that he would agree to participate in a "peace summit" with some Arab leaders.
If Bush sticks to the plan that was announced, and ignores Olmert and Abbas, this will mean one thing: the American administration does not believe in the chances of furthering any process between Israel and the Palestinians, who are marching toward a very serious escalation in the Gaza Strip.
Bush was burned in his previous visit to the region, at the Aqaba Summit in June 2003, which only resulted in nice photo-ops. He will not endanger his declining prestige in another useless effort to bring Olmert and Abbas together - two leaders who lost the support of their communities. At least Olmert is in charge in Israel, notwithstanding his domestic problems; Abbas is not able to do a thing. Still, it is difficult to believe Bush will pass through the region and move on, without saying "hello" to his friends.
In the absence of a diplomatic process, Israel is being dragged into a major conflict in Gaza in an effort to "significantly reduce the Qassam attacks," as Olmert told the Cabinet, and to minimize the smuggling of weapons from Sinai into Gaza. Those who expected to see a "Defensive Shield 2" emerging from the cabinet meeting Wednesday were disappointed.
But the decisions announced mean an escalation in the response to the rocket attacks, including the targeting of Hamas institutions, which until recently were out of bounds. If the rocket attacks continue, Jerusalem warns, the Israel Defense Forces will embark on a "major" operation the likes of which Gaza has not seen. Under the current circumstances, it is hard to see how this bloody clash can be avoided. It appears as though even Bush does not to believe in any other outcome.
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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert meeting with President George W. Bush at the White House last week. (Archives) |
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Wasn't it that you guys left "your land" in the exodus. What happened , not so tough then but real tough now? get a grip, Israel was never a great world power (or even a little one) and never will be. Don't go on about your vaunted IDF/AF/NF whatever. Everybody with an M-16 is a superpower when confronted with stones and when they have a real power backing them (US). Israel on its own is a non power. Your toughness has never gotten you anywhere and never will. Use your smarts instead, history has shown that only when you have used your brain have you prevailed.
This is not a matter of adults or children. It is a matter of disengaging from the symbolism this conflict has both in the west and in the middle east. Once we can do that, it will no longer be a question of pride/humiliation. The consequence being we can start to focus on looking for real solutions for saving lives, and finding real peace.
Have you followed our history for 2000 years you would realize that we survived eny imaginable assault on our existance as people and as Jews. A short border skirmish with islamofascist Hezbollah,led by a Sheik wearing a religious diaper on his head and playing out victory acts like a kindergarden kid dancing and singing " nah Nah, nah nah, Nah Nah, I won you lost, I won you lost..." makes you think we lost. Those laugh who laugh last! You tried to kill us for 2000 years, we won...Nah Nah Nah Nah Watcher. I think that's the level of discource you may understand.
Slowly but surely the ?Olmert?s Washington visit? puzzle becomes clearer with the ?shown cold shoulder? treatment of W. Bush by next door neighbors Amman visit without ?shaking hands with his pal in Jerusalem? - Exaggeratedly here is ?a studied insult? to put Olmert / Israel at its n e w p l a c e in US Middle East policy. Mr. Olmert ?another feather in cap? without photo ops do you have a new daily agenda for this? Next week an American high ranking official will tell / inform you what was decided!
its interesting how desperate u guys r for honor and still hv not mentally recovered from the embarassing battering u guys received in the earlier wars, that u shall cling to just about anything to claim victory. I think Bin-Laden and Ahmadinejad and Taleban must hv provided a lot of soothing to the battered Arab ego. Hope this doesnt take u guys to an 'actual' war. another military defeat will may be lead to mass suicide? please read ur history objectively n check how many honest 'battles' have u guys actually won?
You don't sound very balanced or mature, either? So who you to talk?
Olmert and Abbas are both a waste of space, so there's very little point in Bush visiting right now, when his priority is to get the Iraq withdrawl moving. Having said that, once he's got basic concepts on that moving, he needs to call a serious Dayton-style Middle East peace conference fast, something Jordan will tell him in no uncertain terms. If the US wants to withdraw from Iraq with any shred of dignity, it has to pressure Israel and the Pals into a peace deal first. Otherwise it will have achieved aboslutely zero in Iraq and that's not much to achieve for so much blood, so much money, and so much damage to the image of the US.
"So-called Israel has had untold opportunities to find a find a modus vivendi with Palestine. " Best to look things straight in the eye Hannah. The name is Israel, not so-called, not zionist proxy, not any of the other epithets with which you habitually express your distaste and denial. Finding a modus vivendi with the Palestinians is at the top of our agenda in spite of all the backtracking. Have the Palestinians put finding a modus vivendi with Israel at the top of their agenda? That common point of departure could lead somewhere.
That you wrote "so-called Israel" tells me that you are one of those idiots that does not recignize Israel, and the only solution would be the fire of rockets into Israel or terror attacks. You and your Hammas will be distroyed, as you won't have nothing else but war, and killings.
He will be in the region, in Jordan, bordering Israel and Palestine but won't meet with Abbas and Olmert. What kind of US peace support is this?
So-called Israel has had untold opportunities to find a find a modus vivendi with Palestine. They have, on each and every opportunity, taken upon themselves the role of Little Lord Fauntleroy. Now, from Aluf Benn's analysis, it would seem that the political eunuchs, Olmert and Abbas, are disappointed that they have not been invited to the Jordanian teaparty. The real and obvious significance of this hastily called Jordanian meeting is that the Americans have been defeated in the Middle East, both through their own humiliating losses in Iraq/Afghanistan, and their zionist proxy's equally humiliating loss in Lebanon, and that they are pulling back into the isolation of their own domestic ills. This does not bode well for future zionist begging, whining, bullying and pleading in Washington. It looks like the zionists are on their own now, with no adults immediately within view.
History has shown that no foreign power has ever lasted in the middle east. The US invaded Iraq in part to secure Israel from Iraq. Enough American military personnel have been murdered in Iraq. Iraq does not impose a direct threat to the safety of the U.S., never did. It is time that the Israelis and the Arabs come to some type of truth among themselves. In order for this to work, Israel has to give back land it occupied and built settlements upon which rightfully does not belong to Israel, and the Palestinians must recognize Israel right as a state. IF no compromise is reached between the Israeli and the Palestinians who have also lived in the middle east for centuries, the outlook does not look very good for either side. Land grabbing only builds up hatred. Sending rockets into Israel achieves nothing either. It is time for the people of the middle east to come together with each other. No one else can come in amd make peace for them.
stop off for a Mediterrenan salad lunch at the King David Hotel and miss the opportunity to shmooze with either PM Olmert's proposed agenda for peace or President Abbas's formulation of the unity gov't? That's hard to believe. Why not if you're in the neighbourhood where hospitality to visitors is a given by both Israelis and Palestinians? What about even an American "encouragment" to hold a cease-fire with regards to the Qassams onslaught upon Sderot and the Negev, and Israeli targeting of militants? Following that cease-fire, the release of Shalit and Palestinian prisoners long amentioned these last few months? Jordan is just a hop, skip, jump away from Jerusalem and Ramallah. Think about it Mr. Bush.