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Bush foresees Mideast peace
10/01/2008 16:50 - (SA)
Ramallah, West Bank - US President George W. Bush on Thursday predicted that a Middle East peace treaty would be signed by the time he leaves office in a year and bring the Palestinians their longed-for state.
But on his first visit to the occupied West Bank, Bush said both Israel and the Palestinians had to make "tough choices" for peace to become a reality, reflecting deep divisions still dogging recently revived negotiations.
He also took aim at the Islamist movement Hamas, whose bloody takeover of the Gaza Strip seven months ago split the Palestinians into two separately ruled entities and has complicated peacemaking.
Bush, who is hoping to clinch a major foreign policy victory before he leaves office in January 2009 after the repeated failure of previous administrations to broker peace, said a Palestinan state had to be continuous.
"Swiss cheese isn't going to work when it comes to the territory of a state," he said at a press conference alongside Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in the West Bank political capital Ramallah.
"In order for there to be lasting peace... Abbas and Prime Minister (Ehud) Olmert have to come together and make tough choices and I'm convinced they will," he said.
"I believe it's going to happen, that there's going to be a signed peace treaty by the time I leave office."
Talks stumble
Bush's talks in Ramallah followed meetings with Israeli leaders on Wednesday at the start of a Middle East trip aimed at advancing the negotiations relaunched amid great fanfare six weeks ago but which have stumbled since.
Although both Abbas and Olmert agreed on the eve of the Bush visit to start tackling the thorniest issues of the decades-old conflict - borders, Jerusalem and refugees - talks have been hit by discord over Jewish settlements and increasing violence in Gaza.
Bush said he understood the frustrations of Palestinians who have to live with Israeli checkpoints and barricades and said Israel should "help, not hinder" the Palestinian security forces.
He saw the main Ramallah checkpoint for himself after travelling by road from Jerusalem when fog grounded his Marine One helicopter, although Bush's convoy swept through a barrier where Palestinians often wait for hours.
Only the second US head of state to visit the Palestinian territories, Bush faces a difficult task to win over the hearts and minds of Palestinians, who are deeply sceptical about his ability to be an even-handed peace broker as Israel's closest ally.
'He hasn't done a thing'
"I don't believe he will do anything for the Palestinians," said Mohammad Khaldi, a 64-year-old Ramallah resident. "If he wanted to really do something, he had six years for that and he didn't do a single thing."
Ramallah was under virtual curfew for the visit by the leader of the world's biggest superpower, with about 4 000 law enforcement officers ensuring the president's security.
Security forces used tear gas and batons to break up a protest, charging about 200 demonstrators who were chanting "Bush, war criminal!", "Bush out!"
Abbas - confined to his West Bank stronghold since Hamas routed his forces in Gaza in June 2007 - rolled out the red carpet.
His talks with Bush were held in the Muqata government compound which was once virtually destroyed during an Israeli siege of then Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, long boycotted by Bush as an obstacle to peace.
In a break with protocol, pointedly Bush did not stop at Arafat's tomb.
Hamas brought 'misery'
The US president also had harsh words for Hamas, saying the Islamist movement had brought nothing but "misery" to the Gaza Strip.
After meeting Olmert on Wednesday, Bush warned that violence against Israel from the increasingly isolated territory must stop before a peace deal could be sealed.
"You can't expect the Israelis, and I certainly don't, to accept a state at their border which will become a launching pad for terrorist activity," he said.
Olmert echoed the sentiment: "Gaza must be part of the package and as long as there will be terror from Gaza it will be very, very hard to reach any peaceful understanding between us and the Palestinians."
100 die in Israeli strikes
Since peace talks resumed in November, about 100 people, mostly gunmen, have been killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza aimed at halting militant rocket fire.
Although Bush told Israel to dismantle wildcat settler outposts in the West Bank he did not call for a complete halt to settlement activity - as repeatedly demanded by the Palestinians.
Underscoring scepticism about the prospects for peace, an opinion poll published in a Hebrew newspaper found that 77% of Israelis doubted that Bush's visit would advance the negotiations.
Bush later flew to Bethlehem to pray at the Church of the Nativity, built on the site where the Bible says Jesus Christ was born. A fervent Christian, he landed by helicopter and was whisked by motorcade to the church through streets deserted as part of the massive security operation.
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