Amid strict security measures and welcomed by almost all Israeli political bigwigs, U.S. President George W. Bush arrived at Israel's Ben-Gurion international airport on Wednesday to start his first official visit to its close-allied Jewish state in a hope to push forward the newly revived peace process of the Middle East region.
However, none of the conflicting two sides in the region seems to be easily pushed even though the impetus is from the president of the most powerful state in the world.
BUSH'S VISIT NO MORE THAN POLITICAL SIGNAL
If a visit by a U.S. president could solve even a tiny problem between Israel and the Palestinians, it would for sure be heartily welcomed. However, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is too complicated to be resolved in one action, such as a visit like this.
Some local experts have warned that people should not expect too much from Bush's visit to the region.
No real innovations will result from Bush's visit, said Dr. Michael Oren, a historian and expert on U.S.-Israel relations.
"There is limit of what Americans can do to advance the peace process," said Dr. Oren, adding that "At the end of the day, it will not make much of a difference to the Israelis, Palestinians" or to others.
Mark Heller, a senior analyst at the Institute for National Security Studies of Tel Aviv University, deems Bush's visit is apolitical signal rather than a tangible effort.
"Bush wants to send a signal that he is seriously committed to the peace process," said Mark Heller, stressing that, though so, the visit will not have long-lasting impact on the reality.
The analyst does not believe at all that Bush will engage himself in any detailed mediation during his visit, say nothing of the close-ranks between the Israelis and the Palestinians just because of his visit.
Although Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's spokesman Mark Regev has said that building momentum for the newly revived peace process and encouraging broader Arab-Israeli reconciliation were among Bush's primary goals for his Mideast tour, he fell short of elaboration about how the so-called momentum could be materialized.
So it is no wonder that the hearty smiles, courtesy speeches and long-time handshakes from his dear Jewish friends upon his arrival could hardly gloss over the skepticisms and doubts looming Bush's trip to Israel and around the region.
OLMERT, ABBAS - NONE STRONG ENOUGH TO HAMMER OUT PEACE DEAL
Indeed, while Bush is a lame duck in his second term without major political accomplishments in the Middle East, Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are considered alike as being too weak to deliver a peace agreement.
With Islamic Hamas, which was labelled by both Israel and the United States as terrorist group, controlling the Gaza Strip, Abbas only effectively governs the West Bank. It is doubtful that the lame Abbas could strike any deal or make any compromise with the Israelis under the circumstances.
The word of Prof. Reuven Hazan of the political science department at Hebrew University of Jerusalem may make of the situation clear. "We don't need the American president to push us(to make concessions)," he said, adding that "What we need is a viable partner on the other side that is willing to combat terrorism, and teaches Israelis that when we get out of the (Palestinian) territories, the conflict doesn't come that much closer to our homes."
For Olmert, the situation is not better as he is leading a rather shaky ruling coalition.
Strategic Affairs Minister Avigdor Lieberman threatened on Tuesday that he would pull his right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu party out of Olmert's coalition government if Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams begin talks on core issues.
The core issues are considered to be the three most complex and difficult ones: borders of a future Palestinian state, return of Palestinian refugees and the sovereignty of east Jerusalem.
On Monday, the negotiating teams of the two sides met to finalize the agreements on the framework of the negotiations. According to the deal, all the core issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be discussed in a special committee headed by the head of the two negotiating teams, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and former Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qurei.
Just one day prior to Bush's arrival, during their second meeting after Annapolis meeting in the United States in late November 2007, Olmert and Abbas agreed to instruct their negotiating teams to hold talks on core issues, which will be monitored by the two leaders during the progress of the negotiations.
At Annapolis, Olmert, Abbas and Bush promised to make "every effort" to complete the Israeli-Palestinian agreement by December2008.
However, the efforts by the two leaders confronted great impedient immediately.
Apart from the right-wing Lieberman, Israeli Minister of Industry and Trade and leader of the religious Shas Party Eliyahu Yishai also warned that Shas will quit the government if Olmert makes a decision to divide Jerusalem.
"The Prime Minister has to make a decision," Yishai said, "Either he brings up Jerusalem, and then he won't have a government, or he retains Jerusalem as the 'pinnacle of our joy' and doesn't discuss it."
Olmert's government is based on the support of the five coalition parties' 78 lawmakers, including 12 from Shas and 11 from Yisrael Beiteinu.
If both of the two parties were to quit, the government would fall short of a majority of the 120-member parliamentary legislature.
Source:Xinhua
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