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Bush
Blames Arafat, Calls On Israel to Implement U.N. Resolutions
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| Bush and Powell |
By Neveen A. Salem, IOL Staff writer, Washington D.C.
WASHINGTON,
April 4 (IslamOnline) – Slamming Arafat for being
"unwilling" to control "terrorist" activities,
including "suicide bombings, U.S. President George W. Bush called
on Israel to withdraw from occupied Palestinian territories and to
comply with U.N. resolutions.
Following
Wednesday's American Muslim and Arab leadership meeting with U.S.
Secretary of State Colin Powell, Bush announced Thursday that Powell
would visit the Middle East next week hoping to broker
"international support" for the peace process.
Bush
also called on Israel to "immediately withdraw" from all
occupied Palestinian territories and to comply with the Tenet and
Mitchell plans, as well as with U.N. resolutions 242, 338 and 1402 -
which call for an immediate end to all provocations, including
Israel's recent attacks on Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, as well
as Israel's withdrawal to its 1967 borders.
Bush
told reporters at the White House he was gravely concerned over the
"rapid deterioration" of the situation in the Middle East
over the past week, directly referring to Israel's bombardment of West
Bank towns and its attacks on Arafat, stating that Israel must
"withdraw from Ramallah."
He
also went on to state that the U.S. was committed to "the goal of
a Palestinian state," and that Israel, too, must recognize
"a politically and economically independent Palestinian
state."
Bush,
however, slammed Arafat for being "unwilling" to control
"terrorist" activities, including "suicide
bombings". He called on the Palestinian leader to take immediate
actions towards halting such attacks.
Bush
made no reference to Arafat's repeated declarations of ceasefires or
to his assertion that he has made arrests of leading Palestinian
political leaders; he also did not address Arafat's repeated
contentions that he cannot keep the peace so long as his resources -
including his headquarters, police and broadcast stations - are being
systematically destroyed by Israel.
Bush
also condemned Arab "state sponsored" news and television
for "glorifying suicide operations" as "martyr"
operations.
Bush
made specific reference to Saudi Crown Prince Abdallah's proposal that
Israel gain recognition by Arab states in exchange for its immediate
withdrawal to its 1967 borders.
"[And]
Israel recognizes the goal of the Palestinian's right to exist."
Bush continued, adding that the U.S. would work towards the
establishment of an independent Palestinian state that would
"coexist peacefully with Israel."
His
criticism of Israel continued with a direct reference to Israel's
systematic "humiliation" of Palestinians at border crossings
and checkpoints.
However,
Bush did continue his practice of sending mixed signals as he
essentially legitimized its recent incursions into Ramallah and other
Palestinian towns as a "temporary response." But Bush did go
on to say that Israel's actions run the risk of "prolonging
bitterness and undermining relationships."
American
Muslim and Arab leaders lauded Bush's statements, asserted that the
U.S. must actively force Israel to implement international law and
must also hold the Israeli government responsible for killing
Palestinian civilians and for escalating the violence.
Jean
AbiNader, managing director of the American Arab Institute (AAI) told
IslamOnline, "The major positive statement made by the president
is that he singled out the cessation of the settlements and the
specific reference to U.N. resolutions and the plan proposed by Crown
Prince Abdallah. [Bush's statements] illustrate a commitment to a
political solution."
But
Abi Nader criticized Bush for continuing to solely place the blame on
Arafat "as if an individual can be held responsible for stopping
all of the violence … while ignoring the role that the illegal
Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands plays.
In
a statement to IslamOnline, Khalid Turaani, executive director of
American Muslims for Jerusalem (AMJ) stated that "President Bush
has shown today and in his previous statements that he recognizes the
way out of the conflict”.
“As
the President outlined, first and foremost, the occupation must end.
Daily humiliation of the Palestinian people end. Settlement activity
must end. Incursions into Palestinian cities must end. Yet, time and
time again, Israel has shown its unwillingness to take these necessary
steps for peace and has drawn only muted criticism from American
officials," Turaani continued.
He
also went on to state that he "hope[s] the President's speech
this morning signals a strategic shift in U.S. engagement with this
crisis. Statements are not enough. We look forward to seeing the steps
President Bush will take to implement the vision that he has laid out
so clearly this morning and on several previous occasions." 
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