So President Bush says Israel has no choice but to negotiate with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
We can only wonder how Bush would have reacted last September if he had been told he had to negotiate with the Taliban.
Why should Israel hold talks with Arafat when neither Bush nor his vice president, who visited the Mideast a month ago, would meet with Arafat?
Why is it OK for the United States to fight terrorists in Afghanistan but Israel is not supposed to fight terrorists who live along its borders?
Why is it that the United States can produce evidence from Afghanistan of terrorist plots, but evidence from Israel showing that Arafat and Saudi Arabia are financing suicide bombings is ignored?
Doesn’t Bush realize that after repeated suicide bombings, including a brutal one Tuesday, Israelis are unwilling to reward the Palestinians with their own state when the Jewish state is under siege?
It’s hard to decipher where the United States is coming from. It’s harder still to figure out what the U.S. position will be tomorrow.
The president seems to fluctuate based on who visited with him last. We can only fear what Bush will say at the end of this week after he meets with King Abdullah of Jordan. And next week, things could worsen when Bush meets Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who is been outspoken in his criticism of Israel.
While it’s true that until now Bush has demonstrated a deep friendship with Israel, he seems to be wavering as he seeks Arab support for a war against Iraq.
American Jews should raise their voices and let the White House know that we will not tolerate a double standard. The Bush administration shouldn’t make unfair demands on Israel while its citizens are under attack.
Congress certainly has done a good job in pronouncing its support for Israel and its disdain for Arafat. Now it is time for the president to stop his wavering and follow Congress’ lead.
We cannot accept anything less while suicide bombings continue.