WASHINGTON, 26 July 2003 — President George W. Bush said yesterday he had a “problem” with an Israeli security wall cutting through the West Bank, as he threw open the doors of the White House for the first time to Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas.
But the killing of a four-year-old Palestinian boy and wounding of his six- and seven-year-old sisters by machinegun fire at a West Bank roadblock embarrassed Israel before the Bush-Abbas meeting.
The incident was unlikely to affect a three-month truce that Palestinians declared on June 29 in a nearly three-year-old uprising for statehood.
Bush sweetened his criticism of Israel with praise for measures taken to advance peace moves, hours before he met Abbas for crucial talks on implementing the bogged down road map for Middle East peace.
“I think the wall is a problem, and I have discussed this with (Israeli Prime Minister) Ariel Sharon,” Bush said at a joint press appearance with Abbas in the White House Rose Garden. “It is very difficult to develop confidence between the Palestinians and the Israelis ... with a wall snaking through the West Bank.”
Bush also said he would like to see a halt in construction of Jewish settlements, but did praise Israel’s decision to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners and transfer control of two West Bank cities to the Palestinians.
But Abbas insisted that Israel had so far only made “hesitant” peace steps. “The new era of peace requires the courageous logic of peace, not the suspicious logic of conflict,” he said.
“Movement needs to be made in terms of freeing prisoners, lifting the siege on President (Yasser) Arafat, Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian areas and easing up freedom of movement to Palestinians.”
Bush said he understood the Palestinian position, but made it clear he would not prevail on Israel to change its mind.
