Mubarak to Bush: Palestinian issue is core of Mideast conflict

The Palestinian question is the core of conflict in the Middle East and Egypt very much hopes for a peace deal by January 2009, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said on Wednesday during talks with U.S. President George W. Bush in Sharm el-Sheikh.

Mubarak told reporters he updated Bush on Egypt's position that "the Palestinian question, of course, is the core of problems and conflict in the Middle East, and it is the entry to contain the crisis and tension in the region, and the best means to face what's going on in the world, and our region - I mean by that, the escalation of violence, extremism and terrorism."

"I emphasized through our presentations the Egyptian situation, underscoring and supporting peace, and our aspirations that Mr. Bush follows up on negotiations between both Israeli and Palestinian sides, and also said that I wish to reach a peace agreement before the end of his term." During their talks, Bush prodded Mubarak to cede more freedom and applauded the work of journalists, bloggers and judges seeking independence from interference.

On the final stop of a long Middle East tour, Bush said that such civil society voices had taken the lead in promoting freedom in the Arab world's most populous country.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/945370.html

I sincerely hope that Bush can accomplish something. Whether we approve of Bush or not, our relations with the Middle East will be improved, and we will benefit. Too bad he didn't start this seven years ago. All that will remain is to get out of Iraq.

their core issue, but none of them care about the Palestinians. Why else would they let them fester in refugee camps, refuse them citizenship, not allow them to find work?

The issue is not about the Palestinians and their statehood, which could have been achieved six decades ago, had the Arab countries wanted it. The issue is and always has been, for the past hundred years, about a land of Jews nestled within 22 Arab countries.

So, the issue is Israel, and how none of the countries in the area want her there. There would be conflict with or without Israel though, but Israel and the Palestinians make for good scapegoats.

"the Palestinian question, of course, is the core of problems and conflict in the Middle East"

Not exactly. More likely it is the core excuse used to dodge responsibility for the myriad of complex problems faced by the region. It is a simplistic narrative that allows everyone to pin the mess on a politically correct scapegoat, as both the Arab world and the left in the west prefer to think of these problems as a response to oppression rather than examine the more complex, unattractive and accurate reality.

I mean, come on! The I/P conflict is the cause of all the problems in the mid east? So what caused all the similar problems they faced before Israel was created, then?

In parliamentary elections the same year the opposition Muslim Brotherhood won one fifth of the seats in parliament. Analysts said that after the strong Islamist showing, Washington stopped pressing Mubarak so hard on democracy.

Bush is such an idiot.