AP reports: "President Bush, in the Mideast to push along a peace deal by the end of his presidency, gave orders to both sides on Wednesday. He told Israelis that 'illegal' settlement outposts in disputed land must go and told Palestinians that no part of their territories can be 'a safe haven for terrorists.'"
Comment: Isn't it a bit disingenuous for Bush to tell the Palestinians that they have to do something about Hamas? After all, Hamas won the election and Hamas is well armed (by Iran and Syria), certainly more so than Fatah. Unless the U.S. and Israel are willing to provide substantial arms sales to Fatah and then fully support them in a civil war, well, there's no way that Hamas simply fades away, it just won't happen. This is one way we can know that this particular moment of the peace process is not leading to the "Covenant with Many," it's simply an example of a lame-duck American president trying to secure a legacy. That's not to say, though, that progress can't still be made on a future peace treaty. Let's keep watching.
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