Bush visits Bethlehem, calls for checkpoint removal, left to Kuwait

Bush visits Bethlehem, calls for checkpoint removal

Date: 10 / 01 / 2008 Time: 16:11

Bethlehem – Ma'an –

US President George W. Bush visited the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank city of Bethlehem on Thursday for what he called a "spiritually uplifting" experience.

Bush was guided through the church by Palestinian Tourism Minister Khouloud Dua'aibes and met officials from the Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Armenian Orthodox churches.

Orthodox Patriarch Theophilus III read a welcome message to the president on behalf of the Palestinian people, saying he wished to convey a "message of peace and justice" to the "great nation of America."

Palestinian civil society organizations also sent their own message to Bush, hanging banners throughout Bethlehem, with slogans in English such as, "No peace with settlements," and "Jerusalem is ours." A banner hung near the entrance of the church said "Arafat's vision: Return of refugees, Independence, and Jerusalem.

After walking through the dark, ornamental, sixth-century Orthodox section of the church and posing for photos with black-robed monks, a tired-looking Bush moved into the white stone courtyard of the Church of Saint Catherine.

In his brief remarks Bush reiterated his call for the creation of a Palestinian state, free from checkpoints and other restrictions: "I hope that one day people will be able to move freely in a democratic state." Bush also thanked the people of Bethlehem (pronouncing it "Beth-lee-hem") for enduring the "inconvenience" of his visit.

Palestinian and Israeli security forces imposed a curfew on the city beginning early in the morning, with security officers deployed every few yards on the main streets. Bethlehem's normally bustling downtown area was deserted as motor vehicles and even horses were banned from the road.

Speaking with reporters after Bush's visit, Tourism Minister Khouloud Dua'aibes said that she had raised the issues of Israeli settlements and the separation wall. She said Bush had reassured her that "peace is on the march, not only in Palestine but throughout the region."

A palpable sense of release could be felt as Bush's motorcade sped away. The curfew lifted, relieved Palestinians filled Manger Square and the plaza in front of the church.

Bush ends his visit to region

Date: 11 / 01 / 2008 Time: 11:32

Bethlehem – Ma'an –

US President George W. Bush completes his three-day visit to Israel and the Palestinian occupied territories on Friday, during which he said he believed a peace deal would be completed by the end of 2008.

In a statement on Thursday evening he called on Israel to stop occupying some Palestinian territory and also suggested compensation should be given to Palestinian refugees rather than allowing them to return to their homes in what is now Israel.

On the last day of his visit he visited the "Yad Vashem" Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. He will then go by helicopter to the north of Israel to visit two Christian sites overlooking Lake Tiberias.

Bush will also hold a short meeting with the Middle East Quartet Envoy, Tony Blair, before going to Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv for a farewell ceremony, which Israeli President Shimon Peres and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert are expected to attend.

During his visit Bush has held talks, met with Olmert and other Israeli leaders, including Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu. He also met with the sons of the former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Earlier on Thursday he was hosted by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in his Ramallah headquarters, before going on to visit the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.

Bush will then travel to Kuwait on the second leg of his Middle Eastern tour.

Bush: Palestinian state must be contiguous, occupation must end

Friday January 11, 2008 01:24 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News saed at imemc dot org

After his first-ever visit to the occupied Palestinian territories, US President George Bush made a statement that contradicted earlier US policy toward Israel. He stated that a Palestinian state must be contiguous, not a 'swiss cheese state', and that the Israeli military occupation must end.

But he made no statements about the status of Jerusalem, the release of Palestinians held prisoner by Israel, or the removal of Israeli settlements.

One day before, Bush had been visiting the Israeli side of the Wall, and made statements praising the Israeli Prime Minister (who has overseen much of the construction of the Wall). At that time, he made a nonchalant comment giving credibility to Israel's claim that some of the colonies built on stolen Palestinian land are 'legal', while some are illegal. Under international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention, all of Israel's colonies on occupied Palestinian land are illegal.

The U.S. President said that resolving the 60-year old conflict, which began in 1948 with the creation of the state of Israel on Palestinian land, would require "painful political concessions" by both the Israelis and the Palestinians.

He was protested while visiting the Palestinian city of Ramallah Thursday. Palestinians gathered in the streets to challenge the Bush administration policy of unquestioning support for Israel. Right-wing Israelis also protested in Jerusalem Friday, fearing that any peace process would result in illegal settlers being asked to move off stolen Palestinian land and back into Israel.

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