Bush and Olmert seek to prop up Abbas
(AP)Updated: 2007-06-20 08:36
Olmert said that "many people in the world were astounded by the brutality and the cruelty and the viciousness" of the Hamas fighters. Bush lumped the radical group with the likes of al-Qaida and insurgents in Iraq, calling them "a group of radicals and extremists who are willing to use violence, unspeakable violence sometimes, to achieve a political objective."
Critics have said that the United States helped bring about Hamas' rise by not giving more cash and support to Abbas before the elections. Hamas' surprise victory was credited largely to the services it already had been delivering in its Gaza stronghold.
Bush laid the blame for the current split in the Palestinian territories squarely on Hamas. "They made a choice of violence," he said.
Presidential press secretary Tony Snow said Hamas' recent actions will convince both Palestinians and the world of its true nature, that of a terrorist organization, as listed by Israel, the European Union and the US "I can't imagine that killing people in the streets is going to be a big vote-getter," he said.
Still, Olmert was willing to go only so far for Abbas.
Abbas has said that all sides should capitalize on the situation and restart long-stalled peace negotiations. But though the Israeli leader said "there's no question that I want to talk" to Abbas, he also laid out several prerequisites for progress that included implied criticism of his Palestinian counterpart. Olmert's conditions included "a much more credible and serious administration" by the Palestinians, one that will "fight terror in the most effective way."
Bush later gave a boost to Olmert with the promise of new 10-year agreement of military aid to Israel. Bush plans to send Nicholas Burns, undersecretary of state for political affairs, and an interagency team to Israel in July to lead talks on the terms of the deal.
The chaos in the Mideast also complicates White House plans for outlining Bush's vision for the peace process, an area where the president has been criticized for a lack of focused effort. The White House had hoped to the mark the fifth anniversary of Bush's June 24, 2002, call for a separate, independent Palestine alongside Israel with a major address. That is up in the air now.
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