sharp message to israel? here's the lot
Nov. 19, 2003 Bush to Israel: freeze settlements, dismantle outposts By DOUGLAS DAVIS LONDON
US President George W. Bush has called on Israel to freeze settlement construction, dismantle unauthorized outposts, end the humiliation of the Palestinians and not prejudice final negotiations with walls and fences.
Addressing a hand-picked audience in London's exquisite Banqueting House on Wednesday, Bush also issued a clarion call for a "viable Palestinian democracy."
And he repeated his demand for "security and recognition for the State of Israel, which has lived in the shadow of random death for too long."
"Our commitment remains firm," he said. "We seek justice and dignity."
Bush also called on European leaders to "strongly oppose" expressions of anti-Semitism, which, he said, "poisons public debates over the future of the Middle East."
The speech, billed as a major foreign policy address, came on the first day of a three-day state visit that is being marked by royal pomp and anti-war protests.
In an apparent bid to aid beleagured British Prime Minister Tony Blair, his closest ally in Iraq, Bush declared: "We seek a viable, independent state for the Palestinian people, who have been betrayed by others for too long." (gee I wonder who those others might be....Snooker)
Less helpfully - for Blair, at least - he insisted that, "peace will not be achieved by Palestinian rulers who intimidate opposition, who tolerate and profit from corruption and maintain their ties to terrorist groups.
"These are the methods of the old elites, who time and again have put their own self-interest above the interests of the people they claim to serve.
"The long-suffering Palestinian people deserve better," said Bush. "They deserve true leaders, capable of creating and governing a Palestinian state.
Even after what he described as "the setbacks and frustrations" of recent months, Bush said goodwill and hard effort can bring about a Palestinian state and a secure Israel.
"Those who would lead a new Palestine should adopt peaceful means to achieve the rights of their people and create the reformed institutions of a stable democracy.
"Israel should freeze settlement construction, dismantle unauthorized outposts, end the daily humiliation of the Palestinian people and not prejudice final negotiations with the placements of walls and fences."
At the same time, he called on Arab states to "end incitement in their own media, cut off public and private funding for terrorism, and establish normal relations with Israel."
And to those in his immediate geographic proximity, Bush said that, "leaders in Europe should withdraw all favor and support from any Palestinian ruler who fails his people and betrays their cause."
He added: "Europe's leaders, and all leaders, should strongly oppose anti-Semitism, which poisons public debates over the future of the Middle East."
Bush railed against the lack of democracy in the Arab world and insisted that, "we must shake off decades of failed policy in the Middle East."
In the past, Britain and America had been willing to "make a bargain to tolerate oppression for the sake of stability," he said.
"Longstanding ties often led us to overlook the faults of local elites. Yet this bargain did not bring stability or make us safe. It merely bought time while problems festered and ideologies of violence took hold.
And he warned: "If the Middle East remains a place where freedom does not flourish, it will remain a place of stagnation and anger and violence for export. And, as we saw in the ruins of two towers, no distance on the map will protect our lives and way of life.
"If the greater Middle East joins the democratic revolution that has reached much of the world, the lives of millions in that region will be bettered, and a trend of conflict and fear will be ended at its source.
But he also counseled patience: "The movement of history will not come about quickly. Because of our own democratic development, the fact that it was gradual and at times turbulent, we must be patient with others.
"And the Middle East countries have some distance to travel. Arab scholars speak of a freedom deficit that has separated whole nations from the progress of our time.
"The essentials of social and material progress - limited government, equal justice under law, religious and economic liberty, political participation, free press and respect for the rights of women - have been scarce across the region. Yet that has begun to change."
In an echo of his earlier characterization of the "axis of evil," Bush spoke of "an arc of reform from Morocco to Jordan to Qatar" which is producing "elections and new protections for women and the stirrings of political pluralism."
"Many governments are realizing that theocracy and dictatorship do not lead to national greatness. They end in national ruin. They're finding, as others will find, that national progress and dignity are achieved when governments are just and people are free."
Bush said that with the passage of time since September 11, "it is the natural human desire to resume a quiet life and to put that day behind us as if waking from a dark dream. The hope that danger has passed is comforting, is understanding and it is false.
"The attacks that followed in Bali, Jakarta, Casablanca, Bombay, Mombasa, Najaf, Jerusalem, Riyadh, Baghdad and Istanbul were not dreams. They're part of a global campaign by terrorist networks to intimidate and demoralize all who oppose them.
"These terrorists target the innocent and they kill by the thousands. And they would, if they gain the weapons they seek, kill by the millions and not be finished," he said.
"The greatest threat of our age is nuclear, chemical or biological weapons in the hands of terrorists and the dictators who aid them.
"The evil is in plain sight. The danger only increases with denial. Great responsibilities fall once again to the great democracies. We will face these threats with open eyes and we will defeat them."
Bush also sought to answer critics who accuse America of unilateralism in global affairs.
The US and Britain had "labored hard to help make the United Nations what it is supposed to be: an effective instrument of our collective security," he said.
"America and Great Britain have done, and will do, all in their power to prevent the United Nations from solemnly choosing its own irrelevance and inviting the fate of the League of Nations."
But he warned: "It's not enough to meet the dangers of the world with resolutions. We must meet those dangers with resolve."
He also expressed America's continued support for NATO, "the most effective multilateral institution in history.
"We're committed to this great democratic alliance," he said, "and we believe it must have the will and the capacity to act beyond Europe where threats emerge."
He added: "We understand. . . that the success of multilateralism is not measured by adherence to forms alone but by the results we achieve to keep our nations secure."
Bush was not invited to address a joint session of the houses of parliament, apparently out of concern that his presence would provoke embarrassing protests by legislators.
Judging by immediate reactions to his speech, which appear only to have reinforced the hostility of the Bush detractors, it was a wise decision.
The carefully selected audience at the Banqueting House, where King Charles I was beheaded in 1649, was undoubtedly more decorous than it was then and more enthusiastic than a modern parliamentary gathering.
Nor is Bush likely to experience the hostility of the crowds on the streets. His engagements in London are all within a kilometer of Buckingham Palace, and all of his movements outdoors will be within the confines of his bullet-proof Cadillac, which will not permit the sounds of protest to penetrate its 75-centimeter-thick windows.
