Bush and Abbas

Before Bush's meeting with Abbas, the ABC news website had an article about what could be expected. The article is noteworthy for the apparent list of what Abbas could be expected to ask for:

Abbas is seeking help from Israel to get November's harvest to outside markets, and also would like to focus attention on Palestinian demands for full-scale Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

The Palestinian leader also wants Bush to lean on Israel to drop curbs on Palestinian motorists using West Bank roads. The restrictions were imposed after a recurrence last week of deadly terror attacks on Israelis.

Abbas also would like Bush to call again on Israel to abandon makeshift outposts on the West Bank that are supposed to be dismantled under the blueprint, or roadmap, to peace talks adopted by the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia and accepted by Sharon and the Palestinian Authority.

...He also wants to form a partnership with the United States in resolving such issues as the Palestinian economy, Hamas and lawlessness, [Ziad J.] Asali (president of the private American Task Force on Palestine) said.

That's quite some list.

Long forgotten is what Abbas and the Palestinian Arabs were actually expected to contribute to the process. According to the Roadmap, during Phase I (which was supposed to take one month, May 2003)

the Palestinians immediately undertake an unconditional cessation of violence according to the steps outlined below

and

"Palestinian leadership issues unequivocal statement reiterating Israel’s right to exist in peace and security and calling for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire to end armed activity and all acts of violence against Israelis anywhere. All official Palestinian institutions end incitement against Israel.

Does anyone actually take any of this seriously any more?

In their followup article to the meeting, ABC news reports that:

President Bush said Thursday he has never been more confident of peace between Israel and the Palestinians...

Sure. This after the destruction of synagogues and greenhouses in Gaza, the murder of 3 Israelis this past week, and the first year that deaths of Palestinians at the hands of other Palestinians is greater than the number of Palestinian terrorists killed by Israel.

And yet, according to IMRA:

neither Congress nor the administration plans to offer an alternative to the current PA leadership. Officials and congressional sources said that despite growing PA instability, the United States did not have any near-term alternative to Abbas.

Really, does anyone actually take any of this seriously any more?

See also: Oh, That Hamas

Technorati Tag: Israel.