Bush bolsters Abbas, pledges Palestinian aid

WASHINGTON – President Bush welcomed Mahmoud Abbas to the White House on Thursday, pledging $50 million in direct aid and going out of his way to encourage the new Palestinian leader.

“You have made a new start on a difficult journey, requiring courage and leadership each day,” Bush told Abbas. “And we will take that journey together.”

Abbas called on Israel to stop settlement activity on the West Bank, just days after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited Washington to demand a Palestinian crackdown on militants.

Bush seconded the demands from both sides, after an Oval Office meeting with Abbas, and said, “The people of the Middle East have endured a long period of challenge, and now, we have reached a moment of hope.”

Abbas, enjoying access denied his predecessor Yasser Arafat, told a Rose Garden news conference: “Time is becoming our greatest enemy. We should end this conflict before it is too late.”

Still, as the Bush administration faces domestic political pressures and the ongoing insurgency in Iraq, some wonder if it has the political strength to forge a “two-state solution” with Israel and Palestine.

“I believe we have all the influence in the world,” said Fawaz Gerges, a Middle East specialist at Sarah Lawrence College. “The question is, does the president have the political will?”

Following the ‘road map’

Bush said he is committed to pursuing the “road map” peace plan, one that places requirements on all parties.

To that end, Israel must remove unauthorized outposts and settlement expansions, Bush said, and the fence that remains under construction must be a “security, rather than political, barrier.”

Palestine must be accorded a contiguous area on the West Bank, because “a state of scattered territories will not work,” Bush said.

Abbas made similar points and called for removal of Israeli checkpoints and roadblocks.

The American and Palestinian leaders met as Israel prepares to remove settlers from Gaza this summer. Sharon’s plan has drawn fierce opposition, including resignations from his government and threats by settlers to resist.

Speaking this week to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, Sharon asked the Palestinians to help coordinate the withdrawal, to reduce the chances of violence on any side.

“We are willing to help Chairman Abbas as much as we can, as long as we do not risk our security,” he said. “That is the red line.”

For their part, Bush and his aides also want the Palestinian Authority to deal with government corruption and reform its financial, judicial and security institutions, and the president offered American help.

Abbas has visited the White House before, in 2003 during his turn as Palestinian prime minister. He later resigned that post, protesting what he called interference by Arafat.

The Bush administration refused to deal with Arafat, calling him an impediment to peace. Arafat’s death in November paved the way for Abbas’ re-emergence as elected president.

Abbas’ party criticized

As Abbas seeks foreign assistance for the Palestinians, his ruling Fatah Party is under increased criticism for alleged corruption and inefficiency. Recent local elections reflected growing support for the militant group Hamas, which the United States deems a terrorist organization.

Congress this year approved $200 million in Palestinian aid, and Bush plans to seek an additional $150 million in the next fiscal year. But there are restrictions on that money because of alleged Palestinian corruption.

The $50 million would go directly to the Palestinians for specific housing and infrastructure projects, in what aides called a sign of confidence in Abbas.

Skeptics noted that Bush has previously warned Israel about settlements and the security fence, to little avail.

James Zogby, president of the Washington-based Arab American Institute, questioned whether Bush would go against pro-Israeli sentiment within the Republican Party, particularly among religious conservatives.

“He’s gotten rolled a couple of times,” Zogby said.

Judith Kipper, director of the Middle East Forum with the Council on Foreign Relations, said Bush is taking an “even-handed” approach.

“So far, the tone has changed,” Kipper said. “But we have to see what actually takes place on the ground.”