June 19, 2007
Bush & Olmert Try To Bolster Abbas
Although President Bush said this is a "period of great concern" over Gaza, he also deemed it an "exciting moment" in the Middle East peace process after meeting today with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Speaking at a joint press briefing at the White House, the two leaders both reiterated their support for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who has set up a new government in the West Bank after Hamas overtook his Gaza headquarters last week. Olmert said he will cooperate with Abbas and mentioned setting up a regular schedule of meetings.
Bush declared support for Abbas -- and rejected Hamas' new leadership in the Gaza Strip -- by emphasizing Abbas as the "president of all Palestinians" and calling him "a reasonable voice amongst extremism."
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday announced that the United States would resume aid to the Palestinians, which had been cut off after Hamas' electoral victory last year; tens of millions of dollars in aid money was expected to be freed up. Israel is also considering the release of millions of dollars of tax revenue it has withheld from the Palestinians.
Rice will brief Congress on the plan later today. The Associated Press quotes Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-N.Y., as saying the aid effort is "a day late and a $100 million short.... If we were delivering goods to (Abbas) and making him the Muslim Santa Claus in the Arab world so he was giving out the goodies, instead of Hamas, they wouldn't have lost the last election. And Hamas would have withered in the desert."
Posted at 11:38 AM
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Bush Administration, Israel, Middle East, Palestinians, President Bush
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