Bush begins Middle East visit
Welcomed as "an unusual friend of the people of Israel," Bush arrived in Jerusalem to help the country celebrate its 60th anniversary and praised the Jewish nation as "a prosperous, hopeful land" that had accomplished much while "surrounded by hostile forces."
But the president began only his second visit to Israel in nearly eight years as president — and perhaps his last before stepping down in January — against a backdrop of sober questions about his legacy as an agent of peacemaking and about the potential for the Israeli-Palestinian accord he seeks by the end of the year.
Starting with his declaration of the need for an independent Palestinian state in 2002 — Bush is the first American president to do so — the White House maintains that Bush methodically pursued policies that have led to the negotiations now under way toward the contours of a Palestinian state.
"I would say, in this period of time, the president was working in a concrete way to put into place the building blocks for the establishment of a Palestinian state, a two-state solution and a broader peace," Stephen Hadley, the national security adviser, told reporters en route to Israel aboard Air Force One. "Were there setbacks in this period? Absolutely, you bet."
Even as Bush and Israeli leaders met in Jerusalem on Wednesday, a rocket struck a shopping mall in Ashkelon, about six miles north of the Gaza Strip, wounding at least 14 people. Israeli President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert opened an anniversary-related evening gala with an announcement of the day's attack by Palestinian militants in Hamas-controlled Gaza.
"What happened today is entirely intolerable and unacceptable," Olmert said at the gala, with Bush in attendance. "The government of Israel is committed to stopping it, and we will take the necessary steps so that this will stop."
Even before the attack, Olmert had delivered a stern warning to the militants: "We hope that we will not have to act against Hamas with the military power that Israel has in its pocket to use in a serious manner in order to stop it."
Bush made no direct reference to the attack at the anniversary celebration, but said: "As we stand in peace, we must understand the realities of the world in which we live ... We must be steadfast and we must be strong in the face of those who murder ... to achieve their objectives."
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