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November 19, 2004/Kislev 6 5765, Vol. 57, No. 12
Bush geared up for push for peace
RON KAMPEAS
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
WASHINGTON - Colin Powell: out. Condoleezza Rice: in. Ariel Sharon: hanging on. Yasser Arafat: out forever.
But the most important entry on Middle East watch-ers' list is George W. Bush: in for four more years.
The recent death of Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian Authority president, creates an op-portunity for the United States to influence events in the Middle East, and every one of Bush's decisions in recent days suggests he is ready.
Bush underlined his hopes for Palestinian statehood in his Nov. 16 statement nominating Rice to replace Powell as U.S. secretary of state.
"We're pursuing a positive new direction to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict, an approach that honors the peaceful aspirations of the Palestinian people through a democratic state, and an approach that will ensure the security of our good friend, Israel," Bush said. "Meeting all of these objectives will require wise and skillful leadership at the Department of State, and Condi Rice is the right person for that challenge."
Bush also appointed Rice's deputy, Stephen Hadley, to replace her as national security adviser.
Both promotions suggest a tightening of an already close U.S.-Israel relationship. Powell had been the most powerful voice in the admin-istration arguing for greater pressure on the Israeli prime minister to ease conditions for the Palestinians; it was often Rice who backpedaled on criticisms of Israel issued by Powell's State Department.
Hadley helped draft Bush's historic April 14 recognition of some Israeli claims to the West Bank and a rejection of the Palestinian demand that refugees be granted a "right of return" to their former homes in Israel.
Still, the significance of the appointments lies less in the pro-Israel credentials of Rice and Hadley than in the fact that Bush wants to run an efficient foreign policy.
"The degree of fighting between Defense and State made things impossible," William Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard, told this week's annual General Assem-bly of the United Jewish Communities, the umbrella organization of the North American Jewish federation system.
For Israel, a tighter ship in Washington means an even easier ride when the two nations are in agreement - and more pointed pressure when they are not.
Both Israel and its Arab neighbors would do well to heed advice from Rice, said Edward Walker, president of the Middle East Institute and a former assistant secretary of state for the Near East.
"Condi has great credibility in having the ear of the president," Walker said. "When she speaks, people will be listening as if the president is talking. She's not going to have the problems Powell had; she has the kind of identi-fication and access Colin Powell never had."
Bush's administration al-ready has made clear its short-term policy goals in the Middle East: a clean ride for the Palestinians toward Jan. 9 presidential elections.
Bush may be more willing to take chances with a new Palestinian leadership than he was with Arafat, Walker said.
The administration has warned Israel that it wants to see cooperation ahead of the Palestinian election, urging the Israeli army to pull back from Palestinian towns and villages and Israeli officials to allow Palestinians in eastern Jerusalem to vote.
Bush also is determined to see Israel withdraw from the Gaza Strip next year, as Sharon has promised. Bush sees the pullout not as an end in itself but as a return to the U.S.-led "road map" peace plan.
"If in time we see that there is a Palestinian leadership that is willing to fight terror, we can have security coordi-nation," Sharon said Nov. 16 in a meeting with officials from his Likud Party, according to a Reuters report.
It was the most explicit signal from Sharon to date that he could return to direct talks after the Palestinian elections.
Even if Sharon chafes at such pressure, Bush's deter-mination may have a salutary effect on Sharon's political prospects. No potential candi-date for prime minister in Israel wants to be seen in direct conflict with Wash-ington.
Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week with-drew his threat to resign if Sharon did not put the Gaza withdrawal to a referendum. On Nov. 15, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom softened his opposition to allowing eastern Jerusalem Palestinians to vote, telling the UJC General Assembly that there would be "no booths" in eastern Jeru-salem but not ruling out a repeat of a mail-in voting sys-tem like the one used in 1996.
Palestinian officials liked Powell, but say they aren't disheartened by his departure. Instead, they're looking for more signals from Bush.
"It's not a question of individuals but a larger one of policy by the administration as a whole," Diana Buttu, a legal adviser to the Palestinian negotiating team, told JTA from Ramallah.
Rice "got it" when Buttu's team presented her with a map showing expanded Jewish settlement in the West Bank and a projected route of the security fence that would have sliced up the area, Buttu said.
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