Editorial, January 18, 2008
THE NEW York Times scolded George Bush last week for waiting seven years into his presidency to tackle the thorny problem of brokering peace in the Israel-Palestine conflict. But in the end, its editorial page struck a hopeful note.
“Mr. Bush said he would pressure the two sides when necessary, and he also promised to return to the region in May for Israel's 60th anniversary--and maybe more often if needed,” read the Times editorial. “We hope that means that the president is finally and truly engaged.”
But this image of Bush as a peacemaker has little to do with the real purpose of the trip--pledging U.S. support for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's policy of starving Palestinians in Hamas-controlled Gaza into submission, propping up Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in a powerless mini-state on the West Bank, and rounding up support among Arab regimes for the U.S. campaign against Iran.
Bush reiterated his promise to provide Israel with $30 billion in new military and economic aid--a more than 25 percent increase--over the next 10 years.
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