WASHINGTON, 21 October 2005 — President George W. Bush told Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas during a meeting at the White House yesterday that he will work to achieve “the world vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security.”

Bush said he supported Abbas’ platform of peace but asked him to do more to stop attacks on Israelis.

He also urged Israel to dismantle illegal outposts and stop building new settlements in the West Bank.

Abbas called for an immediate start to the implementation of the peace road map — widely endorsed by the international community.

The talks come amid worsening relations between Israel and the Palestinians after the continuation of attacks on both sides. Three West Bank settlers were killed on Sunday in an attack claimed by an offshoot of the Palestinian Fatah movement. Israel killed a Palestinian fighter the same day, froze security contacts with the Palestinians and reimposed some West Bank roadblocks it had lifted.

Speaking at a joint Rose Garden news conference after talks with Abbas, Bush said the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the West Bank had created new opportunities and responsibilities for the Palestinians.

“The way forward must begin by confronting the threat that armed gangs pose to a genuinely democratic Palestine,” Bush said. “In the short term, the Palestinian Authority must... earn the confidence of its neighbors by rejecting and fighting terrorism.”

Pressed by journalists for a time line, and in recognition of the difficulties involved, Bush suggested for the first time that a Palestinian state may not be created until he is out of office.

Last year, Bush set a four-year goal of achieving Palestinian statehood, He has more than three years remaining in his term.

“I’d like to see two states. And if it happens before I get out of office, I’ll be there to witness the ceremony. And if doesn’t, we will work hard to lay that foundation so that the process becomes irreversible,” Bush said.

However, the US president said he was more confident today about the possibility of the state of Palestine emerging than when he first took office.

The dominant view in Washington is that Israel took a significant step when it ended 38 years of military rule in Gaza, and there is now a chance to revive the road map.

The Bush-Abbas talks were the first since Israel left Gaza last month. The Americans are positive about the Palestinian leadership and clearly trust Mahmoud Abbas. The Palestinian leader also feels that the Palestinians’ best chance is to curry favor with the US, as Israel has done over the years.

The US leader said he would appoint a new envoy with a broader mandate to help the search for peace and the rebuilding of the Palestinian economy.

“Achieving peace demands action by all parties,” said Bush, before urging Israel not to undertake “any activity that contravenes its road map obligations” and prejudices final status talks.

Abbas called on Israel “to join us in a real partnership for making peace.”

“The time has come to put an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. The time has come for the Palestinian people to attain freedom. The time has come to move quickly toward the resumption of permanent status negotiations,” said the Palestinian leader.