Translated material
Blitz world
Palestinians and Israelis promised Bush to live together
Yesterday, America showed doubters that its assertive approach to solving the world's problems can bring not only suffering and destruction, but hope for a way out of the most long-standing impasses of world politics. At a summit in the Jordanian port city of Aqaba, located on the Red Sea near the border with Israel, the leaders of the United States, Israel and the Palestinian Authority managed to reduce the intensity of the Middle East conflict, which has been smoldering for more than half a century.George Bush brought together the leaders of irreconcilable peoples - the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers. As soon as the US President took upon himself “a commitment to help the parties reach difficult and heroic solutions,” these decisions, as if by magic, were achieved. “The Holy Land must be divided between the states of Palestine and Israel,” said the American president. “We understand the importance of the territorial integrity of the Palestinian state,” Sharon echoed Bush. “Israel is a state of law, and therefore we immediately begin the withdrawal of unauthorized settlements.” Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas was not far behind: “We renounce terror against Israelis anywhere. Our goal is peaceful coexistence side by side between the two states of Israel and Palestine.” In a rare display of unanimity, the two prime ministers took the first step along America's path to reconciliation.
Having made the most important historical statements, the pacified leaders walked towards the photographers along a bridge specially erected over the waters of the royal palace pool. The bridge was built at the insistence of the White House. In the first version, it turned out to be too narrow - only one leader could walk along it. To avoid misunderstandings, at the request of Washington's image makers, the Jordanians built another bridge, politically correct reflecting the collective peacekeeping efforts. The final picture of the Aqaba summit was symbolic and reminiscent of the steps of the biblical righteous.
The day before this meeting, at another summit in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, George W. Bush repeatedly placed his faith in “Almighty God” in an informal conversation with five Arab leaders. This was recorded by an Egyptian television camera that was accidentally left on. “Israel must resolve the settlement issue. Israel must ensure the continuity of territory that Palestinians can call home,” George Bush said candidly. “The integrity of the territory,” White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer later corrected the chief.
The camera also recorded a warm conversation between Bush and Palestinian Prime Minister Abbas, whom Washington is persistently trying to present as an alternative to Yasser Arafat. In Egypt, a spark of mutual sympathy flashed between Bush and Abbas. “The responsibility falls on you, sir. And you accepted it,” Bush told Abbas. “I want to work with you.” Previously, the US President developed hostility towards Arafat, which is why he was mercilessly thrown out of the negotiation process. The same hostility exists between Arafat and Sharon.
Arafat was not the only one left behind. The current plan for building Middle Eastern peace - the so-called "Road Map" - was the fruit of joint creativity of the United States, Russia, the UN and the European Union. At the Aqaba summit, the “quartet” looked like an empty formality - Washington has the desire and ability to perform the most complex parts of global politics solo. The Israelis and Palestinians had to step on the throat of their songs and start singing along with the States, which were able to order any music they wanted.
The American president must be given his due - he is simple, consistent and pragmatic in his foreign policy approaches. Bush cleared Afghanistan of al-Qaeda terrorists who attacked his country , then brought Iraq, which had the ability to create weapons of mass destruction, to its knees. Now Bush has decided to end the Middle East conflict that has fueled generations of terrorists. The power of persuasion is combined with the power of coercion and the power of money: in Sharm el-Sheikh, Bush promised Arab leaders to create a US-Middle East free trade zone within ten years.
The blissful picture of a successful American blitzkrieg in the Middle East is only violated by the results of recent sociological surveys in Islamic countries. The vast majority of the world's Muslims believe that Palestinians can never coexist with Israelis. Alas, the majority of respondents did not appreciate Bush’s peacekeeping efforts, considering US policy in the Middle East “destabilizing.”