Bush puts pressure on Palestinians after pullout
Reuters
Date: 08-27-05
CRAWFORD, Texas (Reuters) - President George W. Bush demanded on Saturday that the Palestinians respond to the Israeli pullout from Gaza and portions of the West Bank by cracking down on terrorism.
It was Bush's most direct call for the Palestinians to act against militants since the withdrawal, and the Islamic militant group Hamas responded with defiance by saying it was committed "to the arms of resistance."
Bush stopped short of calling on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to dismantle Hamas and other groups, and Palestinian officials in Washington said the White House understood that Abbas and his security forces would need more time to prepare for any push to disarm the militants.
"Now that Israel has withdrawn, the way forward is clear. The Palestinians must show the world that they will fight terrorism and govern in a peaceful way," Bush said.
"We demand an end to terrorism and violence in every form because we know that progress depends on ending terror," Bush added in his weekly radio address.
In a sign of the difficulties facing Bush and Abbas, a Hamas leader who tops Israel's most wanted list said on Saturday in his own videotape message that the Jewish state had been humiliated by its Gaza pullout and warned Palestinian officials against stopping what he called armed resistance by militants.
Sami Abu Zuhri, spokesman for Hamas, told Reuters Bush's statement was "evidence of the American bias to the Israeli occupation and represents hostility towards the Palestinian people."
"Palestinian resistance is an internal Palestinian affair and Bush ... should stop intervening in Palestinian affairs and should stop exerting pressure that only aims to cause strife among the Palestinian people," he added.
BALANCING ACT
The Bush administration faces a delicate balancing act -- trying not to put too much pressure on Abbas ahead of Palestinian elections without angering Israel, which wants to see the Palestinian Authority to move against the militants.
"Since Israel finished its evacuation of settlers, U.S. President George W. Bush should make sure that Gaza will not be first and last through the precise implementation of the road map," Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat told Reuters.
The top Palestinian official in Washington, Hasan Abdel Rahman, told Reuters the Palestinian Authority "needs time and I think it's wise to allow President Abbas to achieve that objective on his own terms."
Edward Abington, an adviser to the Palestinian Authority in the United States and a former U.S. consul in Jerusalem, said it was U.S. security coordinator Lt. Gen. William Ward's "judgement that PA (Palestinian Authority) capabilities are limited and it's going to take time to rebuild it."
"It's not realistic that the PA can go in to disarm the groups at this time. It's not something they (U.S. officials) expect to happen any time soon," Abington said.
REVIVING THE ROAD MAP?
American officials said they were counting on Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's removal of 25 settlements to kick-start the "road map" peace process for establishing a viable Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza.
But Bush said this week that "in order for this (road map) process to go forward," steps must be taken to increase confidence on both sides.
U.S. officials said there would likely be a hiatus in peace negotiations while both sides got a grip on security issues. "It is not such a bad thing if we have a cooling-off period," said one U.S. State Department official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The official said the United States was encouraged both sides had managed to rein in militants during the withdrawal and that Hamas had largely "behaved."
Demanding an immediate push by Abbas to dismantle Hamas "is not going to solve the problem," said Judith Kipper of the Council on Foreign Relations. "What's going to solve the problem is ... convincing the various groups that they can get what they want and need through the political process."
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