Bush Extends Invitation to Abbas
Fox News, Washington
It didn't take long for the Commander in Chief to roll out the welcome mat, despite Abbas' antics these past few weeks.
WASHINGTON — President Bush said Monday he would welcome newly elected Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas (search) to the White House, extending an invitation he refused to offer to the late Yasser Arafat
Bush said he was heartened by the Palestinian elections and offered his congratulations to Abbas, who was elected by a landslide.
"I look forward to welcoming him here to Washington if he chooses to come here," the president said, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office.
Abbas' victory is widely seen as the opening of new possibilities for peace after four decades of corruption-riddled rule by Arafat. Bush had branded Arafat an impediment and refused to deal with him.
Israeli leaders have welcomed Abbas' victory, but said they will watch closely how hard he tries to subdue militants. Bush said Israel (search) "can play and must play an important part" in the development of a Palestinian state.
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Ultimately, the ball is in Palestine's court. Israel's enthusiam will be merely a reflection of Abbas' ability to control his own terrorists.
Even that is not off to a good start with a Hamas organized rally on campuses, calling for more jihad suicide bombings. The 500 some activists say the timing of the rally had nothing to do with the election.
The Hamas rally was seen as a show of strength in the wake of Abbas's victory and a reminder of the tough challenges he faces from the Islamic group and its allies.
The guest of honor at the rally was Hasan Yousef, the moderate Hamas leader in the West Bank who was recently released from Israeli prison.
Asked about the election of Abbas, he said he had phoned the new PA chairman earlier in the day to congratulate him on his election. "We hope he will be able to do something for the Palestinian people, but we're not the problem," he said.
"The problem is the Israeli occupation and the daily killings, assassinations, detentions and house demolitions. If the occupation stops, there will be no problem. The question is whether the Israeli government will halt its aggression against the Palestinians, and I don't think it will."
Thus remains the connundrum: a problem is not surmountable until one recognizes that a problem exists. Obviously Hamas does not see itself as a roadblock to peace.
The world may hold out hope, but until the radical element in Palestine is controlled, peace will continue to be not much more than a hope.
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