Bush Enters the Middle East Fray; Journal article

摘要

On 24 June, President George Bush finally entered the fray of Middle East peace making. During his first year in office, his administration had steadfastly refused to get involved in the Palestinian-Israeli dispute, believing such personal intervention by President Clinton had famously backfired. Finally pressed by the deteriorating conditions on the ground because of the al-Aqsa uprising, and due to the need for Arab support in any campaign against Iraq, the Bush administration finally jumped in -- but not Bush himself. It was left primarily to Secretary of State Colin Powell and special envoy Gen. Anthony Zinni to engage Israel and the Palestinians. Indeed, Bush's only major statement prior to 24 June came in April when he demanded that Israel quit its military offensive in much of the West Bank. Israel's hawkish prime minister, Ariel Sharon, succeeded in ignoring Bush's demand without paying any political penalty. Badly burned by Sharon, Bush hesitated to jump in the fire again. Thus, the most important result of President Bush's Rose Garden speech on 24 June is that it happened at all. The president has clearly put his own political capital on the line in a way that he has avoided for 18 months. Grudgingly to be sure, Bush has now committed his presidency to finding a lasting peace between Israel and Palestine. The content of Bush's vision for peace is unsurprising; anyone who follows the conflict already knows the principles upon which that peace will be consummated. The most controversial aspect of Bush's vision is his call for Palestinians to replace their leadership -- read Yasir Arafat -- for the process to move forward.