President Bush last week did more for Israel than any U.S. president before him.
Bush agreed with Israel’s plan to evacuate Jewish settlements in Gaza. He rejected the Palestinians’ demand for a right to return to their ancestral homes in Israel. And the president agreed that Israel could keep major settlements in the West Bank even after a Palestinian state is formed.
Bush said his decisions were based on new realities on the ground. But there are other new realities on the ground that concern us as well. And we can only hope that the president has taken these into account in making his latest decisions about Israel. The other realities include the following:
• As a result of the concessions Bush made to Israel, Palestinians can no longer view the United States as an objective mediator for future peace talks or Bush’s current “road map” plan.
• Bush’s move last week, coupled with the “war on terror” in Iraq and in Afghanistan, gives the Arab world a reason to believe the United States is engaging in a battle against Islam.
• Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups may retaliate against Bush’s decisions by sending suicide bombers not only to Jerusalem but to New York and Washington.
• Bush’s strong support of Israel might radicalize the populations of those Arab countries that are U.S. allies (such as Jordan, which has a huge Palestinian citizenry, Saudi Arabia and Egypt). Many Muslims would like nothing better than for each of those nations to be governed by Islamic fundamentalists.
• Now that Israel has successfully eliminated Hamas leaders Abdel Aziz Rantissi and Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin, will the Palestinians start targeting Israel — or even U.S. officials — in retaliation? Palestinian terrorists also may start targeting U.S. troops in Iraq, or U.S. diplomats elsewhere.
Since we are writing to a Jewish audience, we expect that our readers will either reject our concerns or add to them. But let’s all remember an old axiom: “No good deed goes unpunished.”
Undoubtedly most Jewish groups will not raise any questions about last week’s meeting between Bush and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. How can they criticize a president who is the best friend Israel has ever had in the Oval Office?
But at the same time, nothing is that simple. The proof is in the daily headlines and newscasts. We live in a troubled world. Although we have some serious questions, we can only hope Bush’s assistance to Ariel Sharon will ultimately be good for the Jewish state and the rest of the Jewish world.
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