Israel Matzav

Bush to visit Jerusalem; Will he lay a wreath at Arafat's grave?

It looks like things are going to be hopping here in Israel next month. US President George Bush is scheduled to visit Jerusalem:

Sources in the Prime Minister's Office said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had invited Bush to Israel last week during his visit to Washington and Annapolis.

According to diplomatic officials, the two-day trip scheduled to begin on January 10 would likely be a "substantive" one, and not merely a ceremonial visit to "bid farewell" to Israel before he leaves office. Bush is also expected to visit the Palestinian Authority.

But Arutz Sheva reports that it's not yet been decided whether President Bush will visit the 'Palestinian Authority' or even whether he will meet with Abu Mazen. The trip was announced on Channel 2's news this evening.

Here's what I said about the possibility of President Bush visiting our area just last week:

On Bush, I believe that the reason he has never visited here [as President. CiJ] is that if he did, he would be expected to go to Ramallah to meet with Abu Mazen. I don't think he wanted to do to that, and I don't think his security people wanted him to do that. This isn't Iraq where he can sneak in and out in a day without telling anyone. I also believe that were Bush to come to Ramallah, the 'Palestinians' would insist on him laying a wreath at Arafat's mausoleum. I think Bush would rather die first.

Deep down in his heart, I believe that George Bush is still the best friend Israel has ever had in the White House. I think he's being pushed and pulled in the wrong direction by his father and his father's cabal in the State Department.

Will Bush lay a wreath at Arafat's mausoleum? Not if he can avoid it.

By the way, I stand by the second paragraph quoted above and I think this story proves it yet again.

Curiously, there is no mention of this trip in the President's daily press conference (which took place a couple of hours before the Channel 2 announcement). I guess that means the White House decided to let Olmert play it for maximum political advantage.

Arutz Sheva recalls that Bush visited here in 1998 when he was governor of Texas, and met with "many Israeli leaders" and "visited the Western Wall." And the Jerusalem Post reminds us of the famous helicopter ride that Bush took with Ariel Sharon on that trip:

Bush's first and only visit to Israel took place in 1998 when he was the governor of Texas and contemplating a run for the White House. During that visit, he took a helicopter ride over the country with Ariel Sharon - who was then foreign minister - a ride widely believed to have cemented a close relationship between the two.

That wasn't all it cemented. Too bad there are no leaders in a position to do so who would propose taking Bush on a helicopter again this time. They're all too busy promoting the creation of a 'Palestinian' state reichlet to want to show the President how vulnerable our security is.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:27 AM