By Ryan Jones
Mar 27, 2007
The Bush administration on Monday managed to completely alter Israeli policy vis-a-vis the Hamas-led "Palestinian" unity government in a power play that again had Prime Minister Ehud Olmert flip-flopping like a fish out of water.
Rice arrived in the region on Sunday and lunged into a frantic series of meeting with Israeli and "Palestinian" leaders, shuttling every few hours between Amman and Jerusalem.
Following several meetings with both sides, Rice had apparently made her decision, and called a Monday evening press conference where she was to announce that, in light of Olmert's refusal to meet with the Hamas-aligned Abbas, the U.S. would act as a direct intermediary so that "peace" negotiations could resume.
Fearing that such an arrangement would leave too much to interpretation and the whims of others, Israeli officials voiced their opposition and the press conference was postponed.
Rice seemed to have the Israelis just where she wanted them, and by Tuesday morning she was able to announce to reporters in Jerusalem that both Olmert and Abbas had agreed to bi-weekly face-to-face meetings.
Said Rice of the Israeli and "Palestinian" leaders:
They achieved something, which is the very regularized meetings between the two of them, in which they will not just talk about their day-to-day issues, but also about a political horizon.
Rice insisted that Abbas is a man who "truly desires to be a partner for peace," and expressed satisfaction that her visit helped Olmert to remember that he too believes in the PLO chief.
Meanwhile, several Israeli lawmakers were less than enthusiastic over the Bush administration's sudden push to restart the peace process at a time when the Palestinian Authority's governing platform does not even recognize Israel's right to exist.
MK Yuval Steinitz (Likud) complained to The Jerusalem Post that Washington is demanding that Israel "hold talks on the establishment of a Palestinian state without peace and without security."
Industry and Trade Minister Eli Yishai (Shas) noted that Israel and the US are fast allies, and that Jerusalem is always grateful for Washington's efforts in the region.
However, said Yishai, Israel does not have to accept everything the US says, because "the approach from the US is not always the correct one."
Both Rice and her boss, President George W. Bush, have expressed their belief that peace can be concluded between Israel and the Arabs by the end of their administration's tenure next year. And they are doing everything possible to make sure that comes true.