Bush Arrives in Middle East
US President George W. Bush arrived in Israel earlier today, to kick off his tour through the Middle East. He will stay in this part of the world for five days, and he’ll visit three countries. His visit coincides with the 60th anniversary of the state of Israel; a major issue on his agenda is, of course, the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians (and the rest of the Arab world).
Although Bush will talk to Mahmoud Abbas, he won’t travel to the Palestinian areas to do so; the two will meet in Egypt later this week.
Of course Bush will also meet with Tony Blair; the former Prime Minister of Britain and now representative of the so-called quartet for peace in the Middle East (Russia, US, EU, and UN). One wonders why there are no Arab countries part of this coalition for peace.
Blair’s first remarks about the Palestinian question: one should not expect peace without improving the lives of average Palestinians (economically). Although I certainly agree that economical development plays a role in the solution to this problem, we should not forget that all too often Palestinians spend their money on weapons to fight Israel. There is an intense hatred. Money won’t automatically make that go away. It has to be part of the plan for the Middle East, but there should be far more to it than that. Economic development should play a role, but it should not play the role Blair has in mind, nor most other Europeans.
