(Washington Post) - Charles Krauthammer At Sharm el-Sheik the president put his prestige on the line for the sake of Arab-Israeli peace and the Arab states gave him nothing. They refused to endorse Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. At the second summit at Aqaba, Bush managed to extract enormous concessions from Israel, where Ariel Sharon explicitly recognized the legitimacy of a Palestinian state. Did Abbas recognize Israel as a Jewish state? No. At Aqaba Israel bought the same rug a second time. If Bush is serious about requiring more than just words from the Palestinians, Abbas must end the incitement, stop the violence, and disarm the terrorists. Bush, having taken his friend Sharon to the cleaners, needs now to make sure that Abbas keeps his word.
2003-06-09 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive