Mr President, what has happened to you?

Ian C

I am looking forward to reading George W's reply.

Graham Parsons

Cheney must be running out of ideas I guess. Or maybe he just doesn't care anymore. Fortunately help is at hand. Hilary Clinton will make a fine president, and - with guidance from Bill - will be able to make amends for the blind foolishness and incompetence of the current US administration, which has done almost irreparable damage to this once great nation.

roGER

I can think of another state "born of terror," Mel. Can you?

Ahad Ha'amoratzim

What Olmert, Rabin, and now Pres. Bush seem to forget: Sometimes the enemy of my enemy is still my enemy.

Phillip Reece

So Graham what happened to the Israeli Fatah negotiations last time their was a Clinton in the White House, or were you being sarcastic?.

Maurice, MD

I suggest that nothing has "happened" to George W. Bush. He has just dropped the mask he used to wear and shown his real face. This is not implausible if one asks "What people put up the vast sums spent on his election campaigns, and what did they expect to get for it?"

Stuart

Its worth re-stating the first requirement of The Roadmap "Phase I: Ending Terror And Violence, Normalizing Palestinian Life, and Building Palestinian Institutions -- Present to May 2003 In Phase I, the Palestinians immediately undertake an unconditional cessation of violence according to the steps outlined below; such action should be accompanied by supportive measures undertaken by Israel". 'Immediately' and 'unconditionally' means without Israel doing anything at all and at that instant where they announce it and undertake it then Israel follows it with 'supportive measures'. Israel released prisoners, have armed the Palestinin Security forces,l stayed out of The West Bank as far as possible, stayed its hand in response to some acts of terrorism and missiles. All without that 'unconditional' and 'immediate' step by the Palestinians. It is clear, without doubt, without argument that the Palestinians have reneged on The Roadmap. Why should they now follow it? If Abbas does those things then Hamas won't!

Steve

Bravo. Absolutely, Bravo.

Steve

The whole thing is evil and ridiculous. Israel has every right to every acre of that land they took in the 1967 war. The Arabs started it and they lost. But they've been whining about it for decades. Waah waah! Nobody told us it was for keeps! Waah waah! We like the old Jews better. You know, the ones that didn't shoot back.

Stuart

Unfortunately, even GW Bush doesn't fully comprehend the duplicity and dishonesty of the Palestinians. They will never give up their hope to destroy Israel and will never honor any treaty. The desire to "do something" and leave a legacy has overcome even W's moral compass. I am a Bush supporter but have to say this conference is a very disappointing moment with far-reaching consequences.

Joshua

'I can think of another state "born of terror," ' -- Israel was born of the genocide of the Jews of Europe which was carried out by the Nazis with the overwhelming collaboration of occupied Europe and the almost complete insouciance of the British.

Joshua

"what the hell has happened to you?" -- He has returned to a time before 9/11 when he was about to toss Israel to the wolves and Ariel Sharon shamed him by suggesting that Bush was going to do to Israel what Britain had done to Czhechoslavakia

Achmed Eintein

and Mr President Did you know that the earth is not flat or that 2 times 20 does not equal 10 ?

common sense

How come the Palis didn't demand a "State" when it was part of Jordan or Gaza was part of Egypt back before 1967 ? They friggin lost a war they started and now their crying ? as my friend always said..eat manure !

John

You are right on in this article. Good Job, Melanie

Menachem Chazan

Is it not time to change the perspective on the bloody situation in the Middle East. It is quite obvious that neither the Palestinians, the Iraqis nor the Afghanis are benefiting from terrorism. It should be apparent, to all, that the only ones benefiting from Terrorism are the Arab Despots and their Fundamentalist supporters. None of the misguided, disfranchised, exploited and intimidated Arab/Moslem masses are benefiting in any manner. The Iranian, Syrian and Saudi Dictators are the ones who finance International Terrorism (without financing - no terrorists) and will persist in spending their last petro-dollar and sacrificing the last “Palestinian Freedom Fighter” and the last "Iraqi Suicide Murderer" to perpetuate their own regimes. This is not a war of Moslems against Americans, Israelis, Christians or Jews. This is a war of Despots against Democracy. This is a war of those embracing a Culture Of Death against those who are intent on maintaining their Culture of Life. History, thank God, has more than one example of the crowning success of those who embrace the creative and constructive forces of life in their battles against the benighted forces of evil.

Gonzo 4.0

This won't amount to much. Why, when anyone suggests the US review its' policy on Israel, does the individual get tarred as an anti-Semite? I for one am tired of this knee-jerk reflex.

Sounder

Bush must be surrounded by Liberals and only read Liberal papers. Or he had a brain transplant since 2004.

field

Some people here seem to want to stay living in the mid-sixties. Update: this is 2007. We are where we are and this is where we start from . Steve argues that right flows from military conquest. Well, that's what Hamas argue. They are simply saying - we can be more patient, more brutal, more fanatical than the Israelis and win back our territory - all the territory of the Muslims. Iran says the same - our nuclear bombs can wipe out Israel but yours cannot wipe out the whole of Iran. Does Israel really want to enter into a brutality contest with Hamas and Iran? Of course not. The landscape has changed I think. Fatah see that in the brutality contest they are never going to win against Hamas. They may not be the sincerest of peace makers but they definitely have a vested personal interest in peace now - it's matter of personal survival. They need to deliver an alternative vision to Hamas's brutality agenda and a lot of Palestinians living in a state of morale-sapping quasi-confinement are I think ready to try the peace path. I think Israel has nothing to lose and everything to gain from this process.

rich anderssohn

you go gal keep speaking the truth

JJS

To continue Sounder's view: "[a brain transplant]...which clearly was rejected...."

M. O.

It's a good question. What are ANY of those men thinking?
Anyone who wants to figure out what is happening and why (because it's only going to get worse, and none of it is going to make any sense) better start studying bible prophecy.
The insanity we are seeing right now directed at Israel is just a shadow of how bad it's going to get.

BJ

I was very pessimistic about Annapolis but if Melanie is right that Bush is actually serious about the two state settlement then perhaps there may be a breakthrough. I am still sceptical but let's hope there is a solution which provides peace, justice and security for both Israelis and Palestinians.

Bogdan of Australia

Field says: "Israel has nothing to loose and everything to gain from that proces." I disagree; Israel will loose her security and won't gain even a bit of sympathy or recognition from Arabs and Muslims in general. Isn't Israel's pull-out from Gaza and its outcome the sufficient proof for you? I don't believe that anything short from an Israelis' collective suicide would please Arabs. And as for George Bush; yes as his (until recently) most ardent supporter and admirer, I can say I suspect that following the examle of Baker and Hamilton, he has had his brain castrated in some obscure neuro-surgical clinic in Saudi Arabia, and then was sent back to the US to betray his country and his allies... Last month, we have seen his wife Laura dressea in burka and listenning to the Arabic female slaves cheerfully endorsing the blessing of living under the Islamic law. Apparently, she was there to make an appointment for his husband...

Abe

Wow! That was an unbelievably awesome article on the topic!!! Pure literature and incredibly clear on many levels of both the Middle-Eastern Conflict, and the incompetency of "President Bush." That's like an oxymoron now. Thanks.

Thomas

One word only: King Abdullah, the oil chief.

m. r. o'donnell

Perhaps he has simply sold his soul -- not to the company store, but -- to the Skull-and-Bones elites and their agenda?

Lee

If only we weren't beholden to the Saudis for oil, then we wouldn't have to play these games with their proxies and puppets.

Lee P.

One question for Ms. Phillips: Have you sent this article to the President? (...and to all relevant congresspeople?)

Mladen Andrijasevic

People who have hopes for Annapolis should just read about the case of the teddy row teacher, Gillian Gibbons.

Mike

Melanie asks of the US President 'What the hell has happened to you?'. One thing for sure is that Melanie never changes - ranting on and on about Palestine, Islam and anybody who else who may have a view from which she so elegantly describes as 'cloud cuckoo land'. So Melanie, what about the projected demographics of Palestinians and Jews living 'harmoniously' side by side within the 'democratic' State of Israel? What are you and your Zionist friends long-term plans for them within 'Fortress' Israel which will surely be built with or without the Annapolis talks or any others that will inevitably follow?

slinkybender

A man drowning in a sea of manure will grab at the slightest straw.

Mike

Melanie and others have quoted Saeb Erakat saying either 'that Israel does not have the right to exist' or as she staes in her blog '.....that Palestinians would not recognise Israel as a Jewish state.' Read on. From a Q&A published by the 'Jerusalem Post' quote: David Bennett, Johannesburg, South Africa: Does Israel have a right to exist as a "Jewish State" in perpetuity (i.e. as it has since 1948 where Jews have been the majority)? And by this I do mean a state that has a vibrant Muslim / Arab Israeli minority which is not discriminated against. My question is important because as a Diaspora Jew, I want to know that if our people are ever the victims of an intended Holocaust again, we will have somewhere to turn to. I personally hope and pray for a real two state solution, living side by side in peace. But obviously if all the refugees have to come live in Israel, it won’t continue to exist as a Jewish state in the future. Saeb Erekat: The PA and PLO have recognized the state of Israel’s right to exist within secure 1967 borders and accepted to have a Palestinian state next to the state of Israel. In terms of geography, Israel is 78% of British mandated Palestine while the state of Palestine will be in the remaining 22%. Israel can call itself whatever it wants to call itself as far as Palestinians go. Unquote. Since then Saeb Erakat in answering questions on Iran's position has repudiated it's President by stating unequivocally that 'Israel has the right to exist'.

Mike

Perhaps I should have added in my post a moment ago, that in an interview with Israel Radio last Monday I think it was, having said that the Palestinians would not recognise Israel as a Jewish state , Saeb Erekat went onto to say that "no state in the world connects its national identity to a religious identity."

Pat Viliors

Every day on Britain's streets we see the outworking of fundamental Islam (viz today’s ludicrous Mohammed the teddy bear case, for example). And I’m sure that Europe and USA have similar stories to tell. Over here we are all too familiar with calls for Sharia Law, mega-Mosques and ‘death to those who insult Islam’. So, even putting aside suicide bombings, I think we can all say that we have a fair idea of the character of radical Islam. Given this then, it astonishes me that the self-same man/woman on the street (in London/Paris/New York) actually BELIEVES the propaganda and outright lies propagated by the Muslims about Israel. Worse still, as if armed with reliable facts from a truthful and trustworthy source, they call upon Israel (civilised, democratic Israel) to make suicidal concessions to these people. It really does beggar belief.

J. Frahm

Hear hear. And this from an American and 'Republican' supporter of Mr. Bush - for lack of any better alternative at the moment.

field

There's definitely an air of unreality about this thread. I don't feel that Israel has been dragged kicking and screaming to the negotiating table. Israel sees the dangers to its existence and knows it must take some risks to achieve real peace as part of a two state settlement. It's not going to let millions of Palestinian refugees destabilise it. But it appears ready to begin realistic negotiations. I think George W. Bush probably simply recognises that fact.

Brian

field: It appears that if some folks repeatedly attacked you many times for many years and made no changes in what they say and do, you would think it proper to give them weapons and tell everyone how wonderful they are because you would be "taking some risks to achieve real peace". In the worst kind of cynicism Bush and Condi are openly willing to throw America's staunch democratic ally Israel under the bus to appease the oil crew. It is shameful.

Brian

field: It appears that if some folks repeatedly attacked you many times for many years and made no changes in what they say and do, you would think it proper to give them weapons and tell everyone how wonderful they are because you would be "taking some risks to achieve real peace". In the worst kind of cynicism Bush and Condi are openly willing to throw America's staunch democratic ally Israel under the bus. It is shameful.

Stuart

Quote: "Saeb Erekat went onto to say that "no state in the world connects its national identity to a religious identity". He's so wrong its unbelievable. A Jewish State is one which is populated by mostly Jews. A race! Judaism (the religion) isn't the religious axiom of Israel. Enshrined in it Declaration of Indpendence is freedom for all religions and all people, whether Jewish or Arab. Hence, Israel is not a State defined by religion it is defined by its people. Do NOT confuse "Judaism" (the religion) with "Jews" (the people) and "Israelis" (people of many races and religions) they aren't always the same thing. Many Jews are liberal, reformed or atheist. Some have a passing acknowledgement of Judaism (the religion). I know!

N. Simon

Mike, there's legal precedents safeguarding Israel for the Jewish people.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3477279,00.html

According to international law, nobody has right to hand over land promised to Jews Following World War I, in the framework of the Treaty of Versailles, another agreement was formulated: The Weizmann-Faisal Agreement, which ruled that the Ottoman Empire will be divided into one Arab country and one Jewish country. The Jewish state was to spread across the whole of Palestine – including current-day Jordan.

The agreement stressed that all nations must urgently encourage large-scale Jewish immigration to Palestinian, dense Jewish settlement, and intensive agricultural work by the Jews across Palestine. During this period, similar agreements were finalized among all powers at the time, including the British Empire and the United States. In addition, the League of Nation, which preceded the United Nations, unanimously approved a similar decision with the support of all 52 member states.

At a later phase, the British Empire decided, with the approval of the League of Nations, to postpone or freeze (but not to annul!) the mandate decision (that is, the trusteeship) in eastern Palestine (current-day Jordan) and work to implement the decision in western Palestine only – that is, to settle Jews there urgently and densely. The mandate order included the fact that only the Jews were granted national rights in Palestine and that this was Jewish land submitted to British guardianship on behalf of the Jewish people, until it can manage it on its own.

The trustee was forbidden from handing over the land in any way, renounce it, or lease it to any government or foreign power, as it was designated for the Jewish people for eternity.

Following World War II, the United Nations was established, and its charter includes the decision that national rights (and obligations of other nations that stem from them) that existed based on a League of Nations mandate are valid. This was also confirmed by the International Court of Justice, and was implemented in the case of southwestern Africa (Namibia.) This state of affairs, in terms of international law, was confirmed many times by leading international law scholars, including Eugene Rostow, Julius Stone, Stephen Schwebel, and Elihu Lauterpacht.

Against this backdrop, we can see that President Bush’s Road Map initiative is illegal, as it espouses the establishment of an Arab state in western Palestine, when 80 percent of Palestine, as it was defined, are already home to an Arab country (that is, Jordan), with more than 20 Arab states already in existence, even though the Arabs argue in all their documents that they are one nation (and therefore deserve one state only.)

The Palestine Mandate was granted in the form of a trusteeship that gives its western part to the Jewish people for eternity. The beneficiaries of the trusteeship include all the next generations of the Jewish people, and therefore it is illegal for the representatives of one Jewish generation to renounce their country on behalf of all future Jewish generations. This is just like an inheriting brother cannot legally renounce the other siblings’ part in the inheritance. Our first Prime Minister, Ben Gurion, understood this as well.

Mike

N Simon. Thank you for taking so much time out with your long post in reminding me of The Weizmann-Faisal Agreement which as you are aware drew many critics at the time and in fact as never been enacted. However, we are where we are, as they say, and I’m not sure it serves any real practical purpose to-day of going back and fro with argument and counter argument which has followed this conflict down the years. So you know where I stand, I’m supportive of the views of the London based ‘Independent Jewish Voice’, but opposed to the views of Melanie who I believe is causing great harm to the cause of Jews generally. However, what I would like to know from you how Israel is going to solve the demographic reality of its own Palestinian minority, and those in the Occupied territories? While it continues its repression of Palestinian dissent, it is redrawing the ‘The Green Line’ by the building of the 700km wall around the West Bank to create an enlarged ‘Fortress State’ where only Jewish blood and Jewish religion will count. Is this the only solution or do you have an alternative to Israel’s present predicament?

james rich

It's the same blindness and high-brow, country-club republicanism his father demonstrated: it's just so unfashionable to call a spade a spade in public. How intollerably rude to state things how they really are and offend others! You see, it has always been the moral, personal cowardice of the right which has emboldened and empowered political correctness. Many on the right desperately fear being portrayed as the bad guy. I suppose I'll take him over his father, but anyone who gets this easy one wrong can't go down as a truly great president.

Abe Warmbrand

I still believe that Pres. Bush is a genuine friend of Israel. This conference was a sop to the Sunni Arabs to obtain their support against Iran. I hope.

field

Faux legalism of the N. Simon variety is not going to help here. As for this being a struggle between a rational democracy and crazy Islamism - let's not forget who first encouraged Hamas as a counterweight to Fatah: it was the Israelis. Just as it was the USA who encouraged Jihadism in Afghanistan as a means of undermining the Soviet Union. Big mistakes in both cases. I am quite clear about this process. It is for the PLA to establish that they are serious about the peace process. They have to do everything in their power to stop the rocket attacks and the suicide bombings. Then and only then can the peace process move forward. Hamas and Gaza in my judgment are irrelevant. It is all down to what Fatah intend to do from now on.

Mike

The White House and the US Senate, would do well to ponder on this statement by Marcus Tullius Cicero to the Roman Senate, and assassinated in 43BC for opposing imperial tyranny: 'A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious, but it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and he carries his banners openly. But the traitor moves among those within the gates freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their faces and their garments, and he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation. He works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of a city; he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to be feared'. No further comment.