Bush: Middle East peace process made progress
Palestine-Israel-USA, Politics, 12/24/2008

US President George W. Bush acknowledged that peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians have been "a hard challenge," but the talks, though not completed, "have made a good deal of progress."

Bush met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on December 19 at the White House to discuss developments in the peace process as well as efforts to help the Palestinians prepare for statehood.

"I'm pleased to note that the UN Security Council passed a resolution which confirms that the bilateral negotiation process is irreversible, and it's a path to a Palestinian state and a path to peace in the Middle East," Bush said during brief remarks following his meeting with Abbas.

A significant portion of the process to achieve statehood involves building institutions of governance, expanding economic development and training and deploying Palestinian security forces.

Bush praised Abbas, whose term ends early in 2009, for "helping the region understand the importance of two states living side by side in peace."

Abbas thanked Bush and the United States for undertaking efforts to promote peace. "You were the first sitting president who accepted as a policy the establishment of two states — the state of Israel and the state of Palestine — living next to each other in peace and security, and this policy has become a reality in every corner of the world."

In November 2007, Bush relaunched peace negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians at the Annapolis Conference near Washington. The eventual goal is to have two independent states living next to each other in peace, something that has eluded the Israelis and Palestinians for more than 60 years.

While the parties had hoped to reach a tentative accord by the end of 2008 before Bush leaves office in January 2009, continuing violence, the tenuous situation in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by the terrorist group Hamas, and internal political issues in Israel have made the goal unreachable so far.

Bush met for the final time as president with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in November at the White House. Olmert is also leaving office.

The UN Security Council on December 16 endorsed the peace initiative Bush started. "Reaffirming its support for the agreements and negotiations resulting from the 2007 Middle East summit in Annapolis, Maryland, the Security Council called on the parties, regional states, and other states and international organizations this morning (December 16) to intensify their efforts to achieve a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as peaceful coexistence among all States in the region," the council said.

Previous Stories:
  Rice warns Israel on settlement expansion   (6/16/2008)
  Abbas: no solution without East Arab Jerusalem as capital   (6/16/2008)
  Bush reiterates support for Palestinian state   (5/21/2008)

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