Bush legacy: Middle East peace dream

02 November, 2008, 06:49

In the last eight years the Bush Administration has made several attempts to find a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Despite this, tension in the region remains high and security fragile and the solution is likely to remain the goal of America's next president.

In November 2007 George Bush hosted a conference at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. Its objective was to establish a Palestinian state, comprising Gaza and the West Bank, and to put an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Almost a year afterwards, the situation hasn’t changed much and the final settlement seems a distant promise.

Many Palestinians think that the peace process has failed.

Some are blaming George Bush and hope that a new president will bring change and end violence in the region.

Among those who haven’t lost hope, Barack Obama seems to be a much more popular candidate, leading John McCain by a mile.
 
“Certainly we support Barrack Obama because first, he might lift the sanctions imposed on us. He might stop the settlement and homes destruction policy; and he might prevent land invasion and bulldozing of lands,” says Seilman Al-Hazeen, a Palestinian farmer.

For years the Bush Administration claimed it was trying to promote democracy in the region. But it ignored the popularity of Hamas, a terrorist organisation according to Washington, which even won the Palestinian Parliamentary Elections in 2006.

The Islamic movement seized control of Gaza a year later, then the Palestinian authority's President Mahmoud Abbas and the leader of rival Fatah group dismissed the Unity Government.

Immediately after that Israel imposed a blockade on the region which was already among the poorest in the world.

The West Bank remains occupied by Israeli forces, and clashes with Hamas supporters in Gaza are still frequent. The two-state solution, promised by George W. Bush, once again remains a distant dream.

Some actions of the Bush Administration, like the invasion and occupation of Iraq, have reinforced a belief in the region that the U.S. is a hostile anti-Arab force.

Peace in the Middle East was a challenge for George W. Bush when he took the office. The same will be true for the next U.S. President – whoever it may be.

Previous reports:
Bush legacy: Iraq quagmire