Bush starts Middle East tour with stressing Israel's “Jewishness”

Bush affirms oncoming state of Palestine, urges Israel to end occupation, compensate refugees

Bush appoints Gen. William Frasier to monitor Roadmap plan implementation

Arab League rejects Bush's statement on Jewish character of Israel

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud received a telephone call tonight from President Mahmoud Abbas, Chairman of the Executive Committee of Palestine Liberation Organization and President of Palestinian National Authority.

During the conversation, they reviewed the situation on the Palestinian arena in addition to a number of issues of mutual concern as well as the fraternal relations between the two parties.

The U.S. president achieved on the first day of his Middle East tour a number of Israeli basic requests towards the settling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as presented by Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert.

Bush reiterated his support for Israel and approved presenting U.S. guarantees for Israel's security, future and security requirements as a condition for peace. He stressed the importance of the Israeli stand to apply the Roadmap plan. He also reiterated recent statements concerning his vision to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by the end of this year.

Bush started his three-day tour with Israel and then the Palestinian National Authority. He was welcomed at the Ben Gurion Airport by Israeli President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu.

Olmert said that Bush is a strong ally and friend of Israel while Peres described the visit as historical. "I fully understand there will be some painful compromises," Bush told the media during a joint press conference with Olmert.

He said he saw a "new opportunity for peace here in the holy land" as he began his first visit as president.

At the arrival ceremony Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke of the "unshakeable" bond between Israel and the United States and of his deep personal friendship with Bush.

President Shimon Peres meanwhile called on Bush to "stop the madness" of Iran and the militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas, and warned Iran not to "underestimate our resolve for self-defense".

For his part, Bush said Israel and the US had "built two great democracies under difficult circumstances".

He said the alliance between the US and Israel "helps guarantee Israel's security as a Jewish state".

Informed resources said that Olmert showed Bush documents regarding the “the Iranian military plan against Israel and the importance of cooperation to face it”. Olmert offered Bush a number of red lines for settlement including the Israeli position in Jerusalem, settlements and safe borders. Bush answered that he stands with the Israeli side in all those requests.

On its side, the Palestinian Authority rejected Bush’s declaration he said upon his arrival in Ben Gurion airport in which he committed himself to support the Israel as a Jewish state. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said “Bush declarations are rejected by all means.” Erekat said that the Palestinian Authority defines Israel by the word Israel and not Israel the Jewish state.”

Erekat added that Bush is the only person in the world who has the ability to stop the Israeli assault and settlements and building up a Palestinian state.

The Arab League announced its rejection to Bush declaration regarding guaranteeing the Israeli security, random settlement and “Israel as a Jewish state” stressing that this speech is unacceptable on the Arabic level.

President George Bush called in Jerusalem to end the forty-year period of Israeli colonization to the Palestinian territories in order to build-up the Palestinian state. He suggested launching an international mechanism to compensate the Palestinian refugees.

Israel rejects the return of the refugees and their grand sons to Israel who counts for more than four million. Bush reiterated that reaching an agreement to build up the Palestinian state could be within a year. He added “I call the Arab countries to help Israel in a step that should occur from a long time.”

U.S. President George W. Bush will probably return to the Middle East at least once before leaving office in January 2009, U.S. national security adviser Stephen Hadley told reporters Thursday.

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.

At a press conference alongside Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank political capital Ramallah, Bush said a Palestinian state had to be contiguous.

"Swiss cheese isn't going to work when it comes to the territory of a state," he said, reflecting deep divisions still dogging recently revived negotiations.

"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."

Abbas told Bush that there is an opportunity to reach a deal this year, but that Israel must stop building colonies on land claimed by the Palestinians.

"What we heard from the president was encouraging and reassuring," Abbas said. "We, from our side, are ready to reach an agreement this year. But the question is whether Israel is serious or not."

Bush's first trip to the West Bank generated little excitement among Palestinians, who are largely skeptical of his promises to move along Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

The Palestinians believe the US is firmly on Israel's side, but Bush's visit "gives our people great hope," Abbas said.

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 re-launched six weeks ago.

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.

Bush said he is confident that "with proper help, the state of Palestine will emerge."

"I am confident that the status quo is unacceptable, Mr. President, and we want to help you," Bush said.

Bad weather forced Bush to drive past settlements and the mammoth barrier Israel is building through the area, instead of traveling by helicopter.

"Our people did not forget your invitation and commitment to the establishment of Palestine," Abbas told his US counterpart.

"Peace in the world starts from here, from the holy land."

Bush also urged Israel, which frequently mounts raids into the West Bank, not to take action that undermines Abbas's security forces.

He said: "There needs to be a fair amount of work to modernize the [Palestinian] security forces... my message to Israelis is that they ought to help, not hinder [them]."

On the issue of the Gaza Strip, which largely operates independent of Abbas's government, Bush said: "There is a competing vision in Gaza."

He said the people of Gaza need to choose between Hamas, which has "delivered nothing but misery", and "those who have negotiated a peace settlement", meant to underscore his optimism over an agreement between Abbas and Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister.

Bush said there are three tracks to this process, as far as we're concerned. One is the negotiations to define a vision that will be subject to the road map.

Secondly is to resolve -- help resolve road map issues. And today I introduced the President to the General -- three-star Air Force General who will be running this process. We have agreed to a trilateral process and want to help the Israelis and the Palestinians resolve their differences over road map issues.

And thirdly is to help the Palestinians develop the infrastructure necessary for a democracy -- an economy -- and security forces that are capable of doing what the President and the Prime Minister want to have done. And we're very much engaged. I'm looking forward to seeing Tony Blair tomorrow, who is the Quartet's representative, and to find out what he has been doing and what progress is being made.

I am confident that with proper help, the state of Palestine will emerge. And I'm confident that when it emerges it will be a major step towards peace. I am confident that the status quo is unacceptable, Mr. President, and we want to help you. And I appreciate your vision, and I appreciate your courage, and I appreciate your hospitality. And I appreciate you giving me a chance to talk to the press, of course, about the checkpoints I drove through and my impression about what it was like to drive through checkpoints. I can understand why the Palestinians are frustrated driving through checkpoints. I can also understand that until confidence is gained on both sides, why the Israelis would want there to be a sense of security.

In other words, they don't want a state on their border from which attacks would be launched. I can understand that. Any reasonable person can understand that. Why would you work to have a state on your border if you weren't confident they'd be a partner in peace?

And so checkpoints create frustrations for people. They create a sense of security for Israel; they create massive frustrations for the Palestinians. You'll be happy to hear that my motorcade of a mere 45 cars was able to make it through without being stopped. But I'm not so exactly sure that's what happens to the average person. And so the whole object is to create a state that is capable of defending itself internally, and giving confidence to its neighbor that checkpoints won't be needed.

And, you know, this is the issue. We're working through how to gain enough confidence on both sides so that checkpoints won't be necessary, and a state can emerge. My judgment is I can understand frustrations. I mean, I hear it a lot. I heard it -- you know, the chief negotiator spent two hours at a checkpoint. All he was trying to do was go negotiate. And I can see that -- I can see the frustrations. Look, I also understand that people in Israel -- and the truth of the matter is, in the Palestinian Territories -- the average citizen wants to know whether or not there's going to be protection from the violent few who murder.

The security of a state is essential, particularly in a day and age when people simply disregard the value of human life, and kill. And so these checkpoints reflect the reality. And what we're trying to do is alter the reality by laying out a vision that is much more hopeful than the status quo.

Bush confirmed in his answer to the question of settlements that they are clearly stated in the road map obligations for Israel. We have made our concerns about expansion of settlements known, and we expect both parties to honor their obligations under the road map.

The Palestinian president expressed his satisfaction towards his meeting with the US president. He described the visit as “historical”.

The Hamas Movement announced its outright rejection of statements made by US President George Bush on Thursday evening in occupied Jerusalem on the abolition of the right of return and the need for mutually agreed adjustments to the 1967 borders.

Bush's visit has achieved nothing more than reinforcing American hegemony in the region and deepening the internal Palestinian differences by targeting the Palestinian cause, Hamas said.

The deposed government said in Gaza "Bush has given the occupation all assurances necessary to perpetuate it, obliterated Palestinian constants that form the basis for Palestinian unity and the same time sold the Palestinian Authority more illusions, slogans and inflated words that have come to represent the politics of deception which have characterized this visit."