Bush: 'On the side of peace in the Holy Land'

by Mark Silva

President Bush, pledging today to redouble U.S. efforts in support of a diplomatic solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said he will call for a fall summit of nations in the region committed to “a two-state solution.’’

The prospects for that two-state vision of Israel and an independent Palestinian state living in peace, which Bush first annunciated five years ago, have been strained by escalating violence. Bush said Monday that he will make his commitment to a peaceful Palestinian state clear with increasing financial and diplomatic support for the government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad.

This will include $80 million in U.S. aid announced on Monday to support the renewal of Palestinian security forces, with Bush attempting to reward the government of Palestinian Prime Minister Fayyad while harshly chiding Hamas for the violence it has incited in taking control of the Gaza Strip.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will chair the fall meeting in the region that Bush plans to summon.

The president also said that the U.S. will step up efforts to support the diplomacy of Israeli and Palestinian leaders attempting to negotiate their differences and will support the institutional-building efforts of Tony Blair, the former British Prime minister recently tapped as representative for the “Quartet’’ of nations and international associations working toward a peaceful resolution of the Middle East conflict.

“All the steps I’ve outlined are designed to lay the foundation for a successful Palestinian state,’’ Bush said during a brief statement Monday in the Cross Hall of the White House, timed to coincide with a meeting of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

“With the proper foundation, we can soon begin negotiations toward the establishment of a Palestinian state,’’ said Bush. “To make this prospect a reality, the Palestinian people must decide that they want a future of decency and hope, not a future of terror and death…. The Palestinian government must arrest terrorists, dismantle their infrastructure.’’

While warning Hamas that Gaza cannot become “a safe haven’’ for attacks against Israel, Bush is calling on Israel to continue releasing tax revenues to the Palestinian government, remove unauthorized outposts and cease the expansion of settlements. Arab nations, Bush said, must contribute “by ending the fiction that Israel does not exist.’’ Bush said: “We stand on the side of peace in the Holy Land.''