18A, 18B, & 18C. Bush Middle East Inconsistencies.
President Bush continues to make confusing and conflicting statements pertaining to peace in the Middle East. Recall that Bush insisted he will bring peace to the Middle East this term (#28 BSI). He has also increased funding to Muslim terrorist groups (#17 BSI, #1 BSII).
Here he calls for a "contiguous Palestine" on Israeli land. No country of Palestine has ever existed. Palestinians are largely an outgrowth of Jordan, but nobody is asking Jordan (or any of the two dozen Arabic countries) to forfeit any of their land for their own people.
If it is such an imperative to have a "contiguous Palestine" can we assume that he also wants a "contiguous Israel"? That would mean Israel gets all of Jerusalem and they can remove that silly Islamic Dome of the Rock and begin to rebuild the Jewish Temple there. A good deal of Bible prophecy rests on how that will come about.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050221/D88D0NN02.html
Bush Calls for 'Contiguous' Palestine
Feb 21, 11:26 AM (ET)
By TOM RAUMBRUSSELS, Belgium
(AP) - President Bush on Monday laid out a checklist for Israel and Palestine to achieve peace with two independent states, including an insistence that the Palestinians get contiguous land in the West Bank.
"A state on scattered territories will not work," Bush said during a speech in the first overseas trip of his second term.
Bush pressed Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to be forthcoming on giving up Israeli settlements in the West Bank when peace negotiations on a Palestinian state reach their final stage. On Sunday, Israel's cabinet agreed for the first time since capturing the West Bank and Gaza 38 years ago to dismantle some of the dozens of Jewish settlements it has built there.
Bush said Israel must freeze settlement activity and help Palestinians build their economy for the peace process to work. For the Palestinians' part, Bush said their leaders must confront and dismantle terrorist groups, fight corruption, encourage free enterprise and give authority with the people in democracy.
Bush outlined the steps during a wide-ranging speech designed to repair strained relationships with Europe. Bush put the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the top of a list of common goals between the U.S. and its allies.
"Our greatest opportunity and immediate goal is peace in the Middle East," Bush said.
Bush pledged U.S. and European support to help implement a U.S. backed schedule for achieving peace and an independent Palestinian state and help the Palestinians build their economic, political and security institutions.
He said he hoped Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will lay out a plan for reform at a conference in London next month hosted by British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Bush said he's sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice "to convey America's strong support for the Palestinian people as they build a democratic state."
------------------------------------
18B. Mrs. Bush to Honor Islam.
The Jew haters will again pretend like this stuff isn't happening, but once again the Bush's are lending their support to Islam.
http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=44389
FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU
Bush Temple Mount visit fuels Jewish group's anger
First lady's ascent to holy site called measure 'to honor Islam'
May 21, 2005
By Aaron Klein
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com
JERUSALEM – A group that led a Jewish protest at the Temple Mount last month in hopes of reclaiming the site from its Islamic custodians has expressed disappointment that U.S. First Lady Laura Bush, who arrives here tomorrow, plans to visit the Mount to honor Muslim tradition.
Bush, touring Jordan today, arrives in Israel tomorrow as part of a wider Middle East tour aimed at advancing regional peace and encouraging Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in accordance with the U.S.-backed road map.
According to Israeli media reports, the First Lady will visit the Temple Mount, among other religious sites.
U.S. officials said Bush had requested activities to honor Israel's three religions during her Israel visit. She will tour the Western Wall to pay respects to Judaism, visit a church in Jericho to honor Christianity, and ascend the Temple Mount to express good will toward Islam, said an official.
But David Ha'ivri, director of Revava, a Jewish Temple Mount activist group, said he is concerned Bush's visit will be perceived as official American recognition of Islamic control of the Mount.
"It's a major misconception," Ha'ivri told WND. "Many think the Temple Mount is the holy place of Muslims and the Kotel (Western Wall) is the holy place for Jews. No, the Kotel is only holy because it's part of a retaining wall for the Temple Mount, which itself is the holiest place for Jews. It was the location of our first and second Temples, and will be the site of our third." Ha'ivri continued: "On her visit to the most holy place on earth for Jews – the Temple Mount – we are calling on Mrs. Bush to demand freedom of access to Jewish worshipers and open a dialogue to return the Temple Mount to its rightful owners, the Jews."
Ha'ivri last month sparked international dialogue when he announced plans to bring 10,000 Jews to the Temple Mount, prompting Muslims throughout the Middle East to hold demonstrations against Jewish claims to the site. On the protest day, only about 200 Jewish protesters were allowed past intense security, which included over 3,500 Israeli police stationed at checkpoints and entrances throughout the Old City, the walled section of Jerusalem that encompasses the Temple Mount.
The Temple Mount was opened to the general public until September 2000, when the Palestinians started their planned intifada by throwing stones at Jewish worshipers after then-candidate for prime minister Ariel Sharon visited the area. Following the onset of violence, the new Sharon government closed the Mount to non-Muslims, using checkpoints to control all pedestrian traffic for fear of further clashes with the Palestinians.
The Temple Mount was reopened to non-Muslims in August 2003. It is still open but only Sundays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and not on any Christian, Jewish or Muslim holidays or other days considered "sensitive" by the Waqf, the Muslim custodians of the Temple Mount.
During "open" days, Jews and Christian are allowed to ascend the Mount, usually through organized tours and only if they conform first to a strict set of guidelines, which includes demands that they not pray or bring any "holy objects" to the site.
Visitors are banned from entering any of the mosques without direct Waqf permission. Rules are enforced by Waqf agents, who watch tours closely and alert nearby Israeli police to any breaking of their guidelines.
"The situation is simply intolerable," said Ha'ivri, who promised future protests. "This is a Jewish state. The Temple Mount is the most holy Jewish site. We're not going away until Jews can once again pray there unrestricted."
--------------------------------------
18C. Bush Again Aids Islam Terrorists.
By gov't standards, $50 million might not be a lot of money (then give it to me!), but giving more money to the Muslim terrorists will do nothing to bring peace into the area, nor anything for the cause of Christ, the interest of America, or the cause of conservatism.
Bush wants to take land away from Israel and keep them from expanding in their OWN country, to comply with his arbitrary "roadmap", while he praises the Arabs for rejecting terror. Is he sane? The Palestinian Authority he is giving our money to ARE terrorists. They were Arafat's group!
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml%3Bjsessionid%3DA32TSUZTD4LNACRBAE0CFFA?type=topNews&storyID=8618342
Bush pledges $50 million in aid for Palestinians
May 26, 2005
By Wafa Amr and Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush pledged $50 million in aid for the Palestinians Thursday and urged Israel to stop settlement expansion and other activities that could prejudice negotiations on a final peace deal.
Standing with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at a White House Rose Garden news conference, Bush also said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would travel to Jerusalem and Ramallah to consult with Israeli and Palestinian leaders about Israel's planned August pullout from the Gaza Strip.
Abbas, the first Palestinian president to visit Washington since peace talks collapsed in 2000, complained of Israeli settlement activity and said "time is becoming our greatest enemy."
"We must end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict before it is too late," Abbas said.
Bush's announcement of U.S. aid to the Palestinians for Gaza Strip projects was a symbolic gesture of support for Abbas, who has sought money to be channeled directly to the Palestinian Authority instead of through third parties.
"To help ensure that the Gaza disengagement is a success, the United States will provide the Palestinian Authority $50 million to be used for new housing and infrastructure projects in the Gaza," Bush said. The United States each year provides Israel more than $2 billion.
Washington, eager to embark on the stalled peace "road map," has welcomed Abbas' vow to seek statehood by peaceful means as well as a cease-fire he declared with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in February and persuaded militants to accept.
Sharon has demanded, however, that Abbas do more to bring a complete halt to militant violence, which has broken out again from time to time despite the truce. Sharon is grappling with rightist protests against the planned Gaza pullout while Palestinians worry that the unilateral withdrawal will divert attention from Israel's settlement expansions in the West Bank, while keeping the small strip of land isolated.
Bush's pressure on Israel to stop settlement expansion and other activities was a nod to another main Abbas concern. "Israel should not undertake any activities that contravenes road map obligations or prejudices final status negotiations with regard to Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem. Therefore Israel must remove unauthorized outposts and stop settlement expansion," Bush said.
The U.S. president also raised questions about a barrier that Israel is building in the name of security but which Palestinians call a disguised annexation of land. "The barrier being erected by Israel as a part of its security effort must be a security rather than political barrier and its route should take into account, consistent with security needs, its impact on Palestinians not engaged in terrorist activities," he said.
Bush also said the Palestinians have work to do to help jump-start the peace process, such as fighting corruption and reforming Palestinian security services. "The United States and the international community applaud your rejection of terrorism," he told Abbas.
"All who engage in terror are the enemies of a Palestinian state and must be held to account," Bush said.
Here he calls for a "contiguous Palestine" on Israeli land. No country of Palestine has ever existed. Palestinians are largely an outgrowth of Jordan, but nobody is asking Jordan (or any of the two dozen Arabic countries) to forfeit any of their land for their own people.
If it is such an imperative to have a "contiguous Palestine" can we assume that he also wants a "contiguous Israel"? That would mean Israel gets all of Jerusalem and they can remove that silly Islamic Dome of the Rock and begin to rebuild the Jewish Temple there. A good deal of Bible prophecy rests on how that will come about.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050221/D88D0NN02.html
Bush Calls for 'Contiguous' Palestine
Feb 21, 11:26 AM (ET)
By TOM RAUMBRUSSELS, Belgium
(AP) - President Bush on Monday laid out a checklist for Israel and Palestine to achieve peace with two independent states, including an insistence that the Palestinians get contiguous land in the West Bank.
"A state on scattered territories will not work," Bush said during a speech in the first overseas trip of his second term.
Bush pressed Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to be forthcoming on giving up Israeli settlements in the West Bank when peace negotiations on a Palestinian state reach their final stage. On Sunday, Israel's cabinet agreed for the first time since capturing the West Bank and Gaza 38 years ago to dismantle some of the dozens of Jewish settlements it has built there.
Bush said Israel must freeze settlement activity and help Palestinians build their economy for the peace process to work. For the Palestinians' part, Bush said their leaders must confront and dismantle terrorist groups, fight corruption, encourage free enterprise and give authority with the people in democracy.
Bush outlined the steps during a wide-ranging speech designed to repair strained relationships with Europe. Bush put the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at the top of a list of common goals between the U.S. and its allies.
"Our greatest opportunity and immediate goal is peace in the Middle East," Bush said.
Bush pledged U.S. and European support to help implement a U.S. backed schedule for achieving peace and an independent Palestinian state and help the Palestinians build their economic, political and security institutions.
He said he hoped Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will lay out a plan for reform at a conference in London next month hosted by British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Bush said he's sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice "to convey America's strong support for the Palestinian people as they build a democratic state."
------------------------------------
18B. Mrs. Bush to Honor Islam.
The Jew haters will again pretend like this stuff isn't happening, but once again the Bush's are lending their support to Islam.
http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=44389
FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU
Bush Temple Mount visit fuels Jewish group's anger
First lady's ascent to holy site called measure 'to honor Islam'
May 21, 2005
By Aaron Klein
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com
JERUSALEM – A group that led a Jewish protest at the Temple Mount last month in hopes of reclaiming the site from its Islamic custodians has expressed disappointment that U.S. First Lady Laura Bush, who arrives here tomorrow, plans to visit the Mount to honor Muslim tradition.
Bush, touring Jordan today, arrives in Israel tomorrow as part of a wider Middle East tour aimed at advancing regional peace and encouraging Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in accordance with the U.S.-backed road map.
According to Israeli media reports, the First Lady will visit the Temple Mount, among other religious sites.
U.S. officials said Bush had requested activities to honor Israel's three religions during her Israel visit. She will tour the Western Wall to pay respects to Judaism, visit a church in Jericho to honor Christianity, and ascend the Temple Mount to express good will toward Islam, said an official.
But David Ha'ivri, director of Revava, a Jewish Temple Mount activist group, said he is concerned Bush's visit will be perceived as official American recognition of Islamic control of the Mount.
"It's a major misconception," Ha'ivri told WND. "Many think the Temple Mount is the holy place of Muslims and the Kotel (Western Wall) is the holy place for Jews. No, the Kotel is only holy because it's part of a retaining wall for the Temple Mount, which itself is the holiest place for Jews. It was the location of our first and second Temples, and will be the site of our third." Ha'ivri continued: "On her visit to the most holy place on earth for Jews – the Temple Mount – we are calling on Mrs. Bush to demand freedom of access to Jewish worshipers and open a dialogue to return the Temple Mount to its rightful owners, the Jews."
Ha'ivri last month sparked international dialogue when he announced plans to bring 10,000 Jews to the Temple Mount, prompting Muslims throughout the Middle East to hold demonstrations against Jewish claims to the site. On the protest day, only about 200 Jewish protesters were allowed past intense security, which included over 3,500 Israeli police stationed at checkpoints and entrances throughout the Old City, the walled section of Jerusalem that encompasses the Temple Mount.
The Temple Mount was opened to the general public until September 2000, when the Palestinians started their planned intifada by throwing stones at Jewish worshipers after then-candidate for prime minister Ariel Sharon visited the area. Following the onset of violence, the new Sharon government closed the Mount to non-Muslims, using checkpoints to control all pedestrian traffic for fear of further clashes with the Palestinians.
The Temple Mount was reopened to non-Muslims in August 2003. It is still open but only Sundays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m., and not on any Christian, Jewish or Muslim holidays or other days considered "sensitive" by the Waqf, the Muslim custodians of the Temple Mount.
During "open" days, Jews and Christian are allowed to ascend the Mount, usually through organized tours and only if they conform first to a strict set of guidelines, which includes demands that they not pray or bring any "holy objects" to the site.
Visitors are banned from entering any of the mosques without direct Waqf permission. Rules are enforced by Waqf agents, who watch tours closely and alert nearby Israeli police to any breaking of their guidelines.
"The situation is simply intolerable," said Ha'ivri, who promised future protests. "This is a Jewish state. The Temple Mount is the most holy Jewish site. We're not going away until Jews can once again pray there unrestricted."
--------------------------------------
18C. Bush Again Aids Islam Terrorists.
By gov't standards, $50 million might not be a lot of money (then give it to me!), but giving more money to the Muslim terrorists will do nothing to bring peace into the area, nor anything for the cause of Christ, the interest of America, or the cause of conservatism.
Bush wants to take land away from Israel and keep them from expanding in their OWN country, to comply with his arbitrary "roadmap", while he praises the Arabs for rejecting terror. Is he sane? The Palestinian Authority he is giving our money to ARE terrorists. They were Arafat's group!
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml%3Bjsessionid%3DA32TSUZTD4LNACRBAE0CFFA?type=topNews&storyID=8618342
Bush pledges $50 million in aid for Palestinians
May 26, 2005
By Wafa Amr and Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush pledged $50 million in aid for the Palestinians Thursday and urged Israel to stop settlement expansion and other activities that could prejudice negotiations on a final peace deal.
Standing with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at a White House Rose Garden news conference, Bush also said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would travel to Jerusalem and Ramallah to consult with Israeli and Palestinian leaders about Israel's planned August pullout from the Gaza Strip.
Abbas, the first Palestinian president to visit Washington since peace talks collapsed in 2000, complained of Israeli settlement activity and said "time is becoming our greatest enemy."
"We must end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict before it is too late," Abbas said.
Bush's announcement of U.S. aid to the Palestinians for Gaza Strip projects was a symbolic gesture of support for Abbas, who has sought money to be channeled directly to the Palestinian Authority instead of through third parties.
"To help ensure that the Gaza disengagement is a success, the United States will provide the Palestinian Authority $50 million to be used for new housing and infrastructure projects in the Gaza," Bush said. The United States each year provides Israel more than $2 billion.
Washington, eager to embark on the stalled peace "road map," has welcomed Abbas' vow to seek statehood by peaceful means as well as a cease-fire he declared with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in February and persuaded militants to accept.
Sharon has demanded, however, that Abbas do more to bring a complete halt to militant violence, which has broken out again from time to time despite the truce. Sharon is grappling with rightist protests against the planned Gaza pullout while Palestinians worry that the unilateral withdrawal will divert attention from Israel's settlement expansions in the West Bank, while keeping the small strip of land isolated.
Bush's pressure on Israel to stop settlement expansion and other activities was a nod to another main Abbas concern. "Israel should not undertake any activities that contravenes road map obligations or prejudices final status negotiations with regard to Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem. Therefore Israel must remove unauthorized outposts and stop settlement expansion," Bush said.
The U.S. president also raised questions about a barrier that Israel is building in the name of security but which Palestinians call a disguised annexation of land. "The barrier being erected by Israel as a part of its security effort must be a security rather than political barrier and its route should take into account, consistent with security needs, its impact on Palestinians not engaged in terrorist activities," he said.
Bush also said the Palestinians have work to do to help jump-start the peace process, such as fighting corruption and reforming Palestinian security services. "The United States and the international community applaud your rejection of terrorism," he told Abbas.
"All who engage in terror are the enemies of a Palestinian state and must be held to account," Bush said.
posted by T.G. at 7:54 PM
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