Posts Tagged ‘U.S. President George W. Bush visit to Israel’

Daniel Levy comment on the Bush visit

Tuesday, January 15th, 2008

Of course, this is not all that Daniel Levy wrote.

But he did say this: “In general terms, the president has displayed remarkable indifference bordering on callousness toward the Palestinian predicament. Being attuned to Israeli security concerns, as he should be, should not preclude the president from achieving a human understanding of the Palestinian reality. The president seemed to avoid any exposure to the harshness of Palestinian daily realities during his visit … President Bush went on to dismiss UN resolutions related to the conflict and he is apparently accepting a very limited definition of settlement freeze that does not include either the settlement blocs or East Jerusalem. These positions mark yet another negative contribution to dealing with the conflict from this administration”…

This excerpt is from a post on Daniel Levy’s blog here.

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Bush reads out “report card” to journalists in Jerusalem

Thursday, January 10th, 2008

Bush read out a sort of “report card” to journalists this evening in Jerusalem after his two days of talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Here are some rough notes, in no particular order, from audio just broadcast on Kol Israel Radio:

“There should be an end to the occupation that began in 1967…

“There must be a negotiation that will lead to a state of Palestine that is viable, contiguous, sovereign and independent. The establishment of a Palestinian state is long overdue.

“Security for Israel and viability for the Palestinian state are in the interests of both sides. No agreement, and no Palestinian state, will be born of terror.

“On Israeli side (there should not be) any settlement expansion and removing unauthorized outposts

“Implementation of any agreement is subject to implementation of the Road Map.

This agreement can and should happen by the end of this year, and I am committed to do what I can…”

Bush also expressed his “appreciation” of the Arab League initiative.

OK, here are the real words actually spoken, according to a White House transcript:

President Bush Discusses Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process
King David Hotel
Jerusalem
5:27 P.M. (LOCAL)

THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. I’d like to, first, thank Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas for their hospitality during my trip here to the Holy Land. We had very good meetings, and now is the time to make difficult choices.

I underscored to both Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas that progress needs to be made on four parallel tracks. First, both sides need to fulfill their commitments under the road map. Second, the Palestinians need to build their economy and their political and security institutions. And to do that, they need the help of Israel, the region, and the international community. Third, I reiterate my appreciation for the Arab League peace initiative, and I call upon the Arab countries to reach out to Israel, a step that is long overdue.

In addition to these three tracks, both sides are getting down to the business of negotiating. I called upon both leaders to make sure their teams negotiate seriously, starting right now. I strongly supported the decision of the two leaders to continue their regular summit meetings, because they are the ones who can, and must, and — I am convinced — will lead.

I share with these two leaders the vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security. Both of these leaders believe that the outcome is in the interest of their peoples and are determined to arrive at a negotiated solution to achieve it.

The point of departure for permanent status negotiations to realize this vision seems clear: There should be an end to the occupation that began in 1967. The agreement must establish Palestine as a homeland for the Palestinian people, just as Israel is a homeland for the Jewish people. These negotiations must ensure that Israel has secure, recognized, and defensible borders. And they must ensure that the state of Palestine is viable, contiguous, sovereign, and independent.

It is vital that each side understands that satisfying the other’s fundamental objectives is key to a successful agreement. Security for Israel and viability for the Palestinian state are in the mutual interests of both parties.

Achieving an agreement will require painful political concessions by both sides. While territory is an issue for both parties to decide, I believe that any peace agreement between them will require mutually agreed adjustments to the armistice lines of 1949 to reflect current realities and to ensure that the Palestinian state is viable and contiguous. I believe we need to look to the establishment of a Palestinian state and new international mechanisms, including compensation, to resolve the refugee issue.

I reaffirm to each leader that implementation of any agreement is subject to implementation of the road map. Neither party should undertake any activity that contravenes road map obligations or prejudices the final status negotiations. On the Israeli side that includes ending settlement expansion and removing unauthorized outposts. On the Palestinian side that includes confronting terrorists and dismantling terrorist infrastructure.

I know Jerusalem is a tough issue. Both sides have deeply felt political and religious concerns. I fully understand that finding a solution to this issue will be one of the most difficult challenges on the road to peace, but that is the road we have chosen to walk.

Security is fundamental. No agreement and no Palestinian state will be born of terror. I reaffirm America’s steadfast commitment to Israel’s security.

The establishment of the state of Palestine is long overdue. The Palestinian people deserve it. And it will enhance the stability of the region, and it will contribute to the security of the people of Israel. The peace agreement should happen, and can happen, by the end of this year. I know each leader shares that important goal, and I am committed to doing all I can to achieve it.

Thank you.

END 5:32 P.M. (Local)
This transcript is posted here.

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Israelis and Palestinians complain about security measures for Bush’s visit

Thursday, January 10th, 2008

Today’s summary of editorials from the Hebrew press prepared by the Israeli Government Press Office reports that Israel’s widest-circulation daily, Yediot Ahronot, “questions the level of security in Jerusalem due to US President George Bush’s visit. The editors write: ‘It is doubtful if the city fathers of Paris or Rome would order their cities to be hermetically sealed were George W. to suddenly decide to pop over for a visit. I cannot imagine the London police ordering the early closure of schools and kindergartens and canceling cultural events just because the sheriff has come to town…Daily life will become a little bit more difficult in the coming days. Why? Is it really necessary to embitter the lives of one million residents just because the American intelligence services view us as Middle Eastern Indians?’ ”

Going to Gaza at dawn on Wednesday, half a day before Bush’s arrival, there were convoy after convoy of police and security vehicles coming from the opposite direction on Route One, heading towards Jerusalem, from all over Israel to reinforce security measures there.

A colleague complained to me last night that he calculated the security measures for Bush’s visit would cost over 2 million shekels — while the just-ended teacher’s strike lasted for months over a salary increase that will cost a fraction of that…

The coverage details provided to journalists by the Israeli government concerning the Bush visit were the following:

Following are the coverage details for US President George Bush’s 9-11.1.08 visit to Israel:

Wednesday, 9.11.08

11:55 – Official reception at Ben-Gurion International Airport. President Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik and other senior officials will welcome US President Bush. The event is open to coverage; entry via Terminal 1 by 09:00. MBU’s to enter via Shalom Gate by 07:00; all MBU’s must coordinate in advance with the Prime Minister’s Media Adviser’s office.

15:00 – Reception hosted by President Peres, at his Jerusalem Residence. Coverage is by FPA pool (TV – RAI; stills – AFP & SIPA; print – AP, AFP, Al-Arabiya & RAI) only! Pool members to arrive by 12:00 (via Yonah Gate). Details: President Peres’s Spokeswoman’s Office.

16:00-18:00 – Meet with Prime Minister Olmert, at his Jerusalem Residence. Official photographers only!

18:00-18:30 – Stake out. Coverage is by FPA pool (TV – JCS; stills – AP & Newsweek; print – AP, AFP & Neue Zuricher Zeitung) only! Pool members to arrive at PM’s Jerusalem Office by 14:00; they will then be transferred as a group to the Residence.
Thursday, 10.11.08

US President Bush will visit the Palestinian Authority.

19:00-20:30 – Dinner hosted by Prime Minister Olmert, at his Jerusalem Residence. No coverage.

Friday, 11.1.08

08:10-09:40 – Visit Yad Vashem. Coverage by FPA pools only! (Hall of Names pool: stills – EPA. Hall of Remembrance pool: TV – ARD & ZDF; stills – Getty Images, Reuters, Polaris, UPI & New York Times; print – Los Angeles Times, AFP & AP. Children’s Memorial pool: stills – EPA.) … Pool members at PM’s Jerusalem Office by 06:00; they will then be transferred as a group to Yad Vashem.

11:05 – Visit Capernaum and Mt. of the Beatitudes. Coverage by FPA pool (TV – Al Khoura; stills – AFP; print – AP) only! Pool members to arrive at Tiberias Moriah Gardens Hotel by 08:00; they will then be transferred as a group to sites.

3:20 – Departure ceremony at Ben-Gurion International Airport. President Peres, Prime Minister Olmert, Knesset Speaker Itzik and other senior officials will attend. The event is open to coverage; entry to Terminal 1 by 10:00. MBU’s to enter via Shalom Gate by 09:30; all MBU’s must coordinate in advance with the Prime Minister’s Media Adviser’s office.

——————————————————-

And, here are the details for Bush’s visit to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, as helpfully re-transmitted — for a bit more clarity — by the Foreign Press Association (FPA) in Israel [though nothing changes the fact that journalists were asked to show up in Ramallah by 6:00 am after travel time that might take over one hour on the road for a press conference that actually started at 11:15 am]:
Subject: Ramallah coverage

M…… E….. at the Palestinian Presidential Office asks to inform you all that the meeting point at 0600 Thursday morning is between the Shuni supermarket and the gas station on Nablus Street in Ramallah. You will leave your cars there under police protection and be taken by bus to the Muqata where you will undergo security checks. Contrary to rumours about a curfew, he says you will be able to drive into Ramallah. We suggest you also coordinate your entry with the IDF, especially if you hold Israeli ID’s.

The Foreign Press Association
www.fpa.org.il
————————————————————–

The Palestinian reaction has been mixed. On the one hand, many people are pleased and somehow flattered that Bush is coming “to visit” the Palestinians. On the other hand, as Haaretz reports, in a rather amusing article, that: “It was only at 1:30 P.M. that Amjad arrived with his truck and his crane to hang American and Palestinian flags on the streets around the Muqata government headquarters. No one from the Palestinian Authority wants to leave them hanging too long, for fear they might be burned. However, the hot topic in Ramallah was the closing of the roads. On Wednesday afternoon, the Palestinian security forces already were stopping cars from approaching the Muqata, where President George W. Bush is scheduled to land this morning. Photographers were asked not to photograph the complex even from a distance, and media teams were asked to leave nearby streets. Ala, who lives nearby, said Preventive Security personnel had been moving from house to house for the past few days and taking down residents’ names. ‘We were asked not to go out onto the balconies or the roofs. We are not allowed to go into the street, either,’ he said. ‘That criminal, George Bush, has put us under curfew. The Israelis are not enough – now him, too…‘ ”

Meanwhile, Akiva Eldar writes in Haaretz today about the Bush visit brings out funny behavior in some people who just love to be in the spotlight, about the jealous rivalry of State President Shimon Peres and anybody else (in this case, the present prime minister, Ehud Olmert, and, he confirms that Bush will be coming back in mid-May — on a full state visit — for the 60th anniversary declaration of the creation of the state of Israel.

Eldar writes: “(The event is being called ‘a work visit’ rather than an ‘official state visit’.) Bush is ostensibly coming to repair the puncture in Annapolis’ wheels and to get the peace process back on track … In order to save something for Peres, the Prime Minister’s Bureau and the U.S. Embassy adopted Eldan’s idea of adding to the ‘a work visit’ the additional ‘aspects of a state visit’. Bush promises to pay the official state visit, without the ‘aspects’, on Israel’s Independence Day. There are people, including some very senior officials, who would be willing to pay any price to be among the 50 people invited to shake Bush’s hand and to smile back … Olmert knows that after Bush waves goodbye from the Air Force 1 jetway, he, the prime minister, will be left with the Winograd Report, with the angry reservists, with the mourning David Grossman and the rebels in the Labor Party, and perhaps in Kadima as well. The last thing Olmert needs is for Peres, who stood by his side during the first round of the report, to change his mind now. Since discovering last week in Haaretz that the Prime Minister’s Bureau had informed MK Esterina Tartman, the head of the lobby to save the Dead Sea, that Olmert had handed the ‘Peace Conduit’ project to Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, Peres has been walking around with a grudge against Olmert. He will not give up his baby so easily. Peres will try to get Bush to retrieve the canal project from Ben-Eliezer’s hands. The Israeli president intends to devote a substantial part of his meeting with Bush to the project, to wield a personal promise from the president to support his vision of peace”. Akiva Eldar’s report in Haaretz is published here.

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Bush bites the bait (was it a planted question?) and Olmert holds firm

Wednesday, January 9th, 2008

A journalists (Anne Gearan of the Associated Press), asked this of U.S. President George W. Bush in Jerusalem today:

“Q Mr. President, are you disappointed that the Israelis and the Palestinians haven’t made more specific progress since Annapolis, and is it maybe time for you to apply some of that direct pressure you referred to earlier? And for the Prime Minister, did you offer any new assurances to the President, or do you plan to, that Israel will stop disputed settlement and construction activity?

PRESIDENT BUSH: Step one of any complicated process that is going to require a lot of hard work and serious dialogue, is whether the mind-set is right. It’s one thing for somebody to say to the President, sure, we’re for a two state — just to make the President feel okay. That’s not the case here. The fundamental questions that I was seeking at Annapolis and on my return trip is the understanding about the power of what a vision will do for peace. You know, one of the concerns I had was that — whether it be the unprovoked rocket attacks or the issues of settlement, that the leaders would be so bogged down in the moment that they would lose sight of the potential for a historic agreement. And I’ve come away with the belief that while those issues are important, and certainly create consternation amongst the respective constituencies, that both leaders are determined to make the hard choices necessary.

Now, implicit in your question is whether or not the President should butt in and actually dictate the end result of the agreement. In my judgment, that would cause there to be a non-lasting agreement. In my judgment,
the only way for there to be a vision that means something is for the parties to seriously negotiate that vision. If you’re asking me, am I nudging them forward — well, my trip was a pretty significant nudge, because yesterday they had a meeting — and by the way, the atmosphere in America was, nothing is going to happen, see, that these issues are too big on the ground; therefore, you two can’t get together and come up with any agreements. You just heard the man talk about their desire to deal with core issues, which I guess for the uneducated on the issue, that means dealing with the issues like territory and right of return and Jerusalem. Those are tough issues — the issue of Israeli security. And they’re going to sit down at the table and discuss those issues in seriousness.

I’ve been briefed today from the Israeli perspective of those discussions. Tomorrow I’ll be briefed by the Palestinians about their interpretation.

There’s three tracks going on, by the way, during this process. One is the vision track. Let me make sure everybody understands, in our delegation, the goal. The goal is for there to be a clear vision of what a state would look like, so that, for example, reasonable Palestinian leadership can say, here’s your choice: You can have the vision of Hamas, which is dangerous and will lead to war and violence, or you can have the vision of a state,
which should be hopeful.

The second track is to help both parties deal with road map issues. Settlements is a road map issue; security is a road map issue, in a certain limited sense. Third issue is to help the Palestinians, one, organize their security forces so that they can better assure their own people, and equally importantly, better assure Israel that they can deal with the extremists in their midst. That’s what General Dayton is doing here, for example. Or, an economic track. Listen, the best way to make sure that the Palestinians realize there’s a hopeful future in which it’s in their interests to live at peace with Israel is for them to realize that they’ve got an economy in which they can make a living. And Tony Blair is helpful on that. And so is America.

And so you’re watching three tracks parallel each other. And the one, of course, you’re asking about is whether or not the leadership has got the willingness and the desire and the drive to design a state, compatible to
both sides, and my answer is, yes, I think they will.

And then Olmert said …

PRIME MINISTER OLMERT: I hope that I don’t disappoint anyone, certainly not the President, because we talked at length, if I will say that the President didn’t ask for me to make any commitments other than the ones that Israel made already with regard to the peace process and as I addressed, I pointed out on many different occasions, including in Annapolis, which, was, as I said, a very important event. The commitment of Israel is absolutely to carry on in this process in order to realize the vision of two states living side by side, as I said before.

Now, there are many issues; settlement is one of the issues. We made clear our position. And I know that sometimes not everyone is happy with this position, but we are very sincere. We were never trying to conceal any of these facts from anyone, starting with President Bush and Secretary Rice, and of course, our Palestinian partners.

They know that there is a moratorium on new settlements and the new expropriation of land in the Territories. And they also know, and we have made it clear that Jerusalem, as far as we are concerned, is not in the same status. And they know that the population centers are not in the same status. And there might be things that will happen in the population centers or in Jerusalem which they may not be allowed with, but we will discuss them and we will not hide them. We are not going to build any new settlements or expropriate land in the Territories. We made it clear and we will stand by our commitment. And we will fulfill all our commitments as part of the road map because this is an essential part for any progress that will have to take place in the future”.

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Another bloody closure — for Bush’s visit

Tuesday, January 8th, 2008

It is 11:40 pm in Jerusalem, and this notice just arrived by email: “In accordance with the decision made by the Minister of Defense and as part of the security measure adopted by the defense establishment in light of the upcoming visit of the President of the United States , Mr. George Bush, a general closure will be implemented in Judea and Samaria . The closure will begin tonight, Tuesday, January 8th at 12:00 am and will be lifted on Saturday, January 12th, 2008, in accordance with security assessments.  For the duration of the closure, the passage of Palestinians in need of humanitarian aid will be authorized by the District Coordination and Liaison offices.  The IDF will work to ensure the safety of the citizens of Israel , while preserving, to the best of its ability, the daily life of the Palestinian population that is not involved in terrorism”.

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Rice says a settlement is a settlement — whether in West Bank or East Jerusalem

Tuesday, January 8th, 2008

The Jerusalem Post has reported that “US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told The Jerusalem Post on Monday that the US does not consider it legitimate for Israel to build homes in some neighborhoods of the capital which are located beyond the Green Line. In a conversation held in the ornate antechamber of her office, she went further than US officials have previously gone toward clarifying her government’s position on the matter. Her remarks set the stage for a confrontation over the issue when Rice and US President George W. Bush visit Israel this week and try to move the peace process forward. Israel, which annexed east Jerusalem after the 1967 war, does not equate the capital’s Jewish neighborhoods over the Green Line with the settlements located in the West Bank. As such, it does not believe that construction there is bound by its obligation under the road map peace plan, which calls for a freeze of all settlement activity. But Rice on Monday clarified that the US believes that portions of east Jerusalem are considered to be ‘settlements’ and that Israel must stop building there as part of its commitment to implement the first phase of the road map.
Rice said ‘the United States doesn’t make a distinction’ between settlement activity in east Jerusalem and the West Bank and that the road map obligations are on ‘settlement activity generally’. She was speaking during an interview conducted by the Post and Ynet ahead of her departure for the region. Rice referred specifically to Jerusalem’s Har Homa enclave as one such proscribed neighborhood. “Har Homa is a settlement the United States has opposed from the very beginning,” she said in response to a question from the Post. She didn’t, however, clarify whether other Jerusalem neighborhoods over the Green Line, such as Gilo and Ramot, were also settlements in the eyes of the United States when asked. ‘The important point here is that we need to have an agreement so that we can stop having this discussion about what belongs to Israel and what doesn’t', she said in response’.”

That was probably a nice quick recovery from Rice — how is she supposed to know every inch of the very complicated greater Jerusalem area? How is she supposed to know where Gilo is, where Ramot is, and all the details about each particular case?

This JPost report is here.

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Hope Springs Eternal – Palestinians somewhat excited about Bush visit, after all

Monday, January 7th, 2008

Ramattan News Agency reported today that American planes were spotted over Ramallah today, where Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas works out of the Muqata’a presidential compound. “RNA reporter said About six types of American airplanes, including helicopters, landed in the Palestinian presidential compound in Ramallah and in the city of Bethlehem. The US president George W. Bush will visit some Arab countries in addition to Israel to discuss some issues, including the Palestinian-Israeli peace process … Hamas Movement in Gaza said that Bush’s visit is ‘a good chance to have photos’. Sami Abu Zuhri the spokesman of Hamas said ‘Bush visit is not welcomed; it aims to support Israel and to encourage its occupation to the Palestinian lands’.” The Ramattan News Agency report is posted here.

Ma’an News Agency reports that “48 hours remain before George Bush arrives in the Palestinian territories and Israel. Taxi drivers began to ask journalists about whether the Palestinian Authority will impose curfew on the residents of the West Bank during Bush’s visit to Ramallah and Bethlehem. Journalists reply, smilingly, no. The Israeli media has been busy covering the news and expectations for the visit. The Israeli government is also trying to benefit from the activity of the Israeli media in forming a front to exert pressure on the U.S administration so as to prevent any exaggerated US promises from Bush to the Palestinians. Palestinian officials and media outlets address the issue with unjustified caution, translating or quoting what the foreign and the Israeli media write on the topic. It seems the Palestinian media believe that abstention from commenting positively or negatively on the visit will be helpful to Palestinians or Americans. What has been written by the Palestinians was not more than exaggerated positive or negative comments without addressing the necessary questions on the visit. US helicopters and security guards landed on Monday in Ramallah and fled over Bethlehem arousing a smile amongst Palestinians. People wonder, ‘Are those the U.S choppers?’ Many called their friends and relatives to tell them to watch these helicopters and the Americans coming to visit us from the windows. These feelings remind some of us of the visit by former US president Bill Clinton to Gaza Strip, Ramallah and Bethlehem in 1998. He was then received in great hospitality by then-Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. So warm was the welcome that Palestinians joked with one another, ‘Oh guest, had you visited us, you would have discovered that we were the guests and you were the host’. A Palestinian security officer told Ma’an: ‘Frankly speaking, we do not know what this visit could produce. On the one hand, Bush promises to establish a Palestinian state before his term is over and that is good, yet when we watch the Israeli conducts on the ground, we become overwhelmed with despair and we fail to believe what Bush says’ … The Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) member from Bethlehem Muhammad Al-Lahham said: ‘We are before a very significant step. We should take advantage of the US president’s time and efforts to answer the Palestinian question. If the visitor does not stand before Arafat’s grave, it is more important that he answers the Palestinian questions of Jerusalem, independent state, freedom, right of return and Palestinian dignity which Arafat gave his life trying to answer”. http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=27066

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