Podhoretz in defense of Bush, Sharon and himself.

Israpundit ^ | April 7/08 | Ted Belman

[tedbel]

Norman Podhoretz, as you will recall, was a staunch supporter of GW Bush, and is staying the course, and was in support of Sharon's Disengagement.

He now replies to his critics of both these positions, in his Commentary article, Israel and the Palestinians:Has Bush Reneged?. Anyone interested in the peace process from its beginning in Madrid should read this very informative article. He begins,

On June 24, 2002, George W. Bush, having already become the first American President to come out openly and officially for the establishment of a Palestinian state, attached two stern conditions to that new policy. The United States, he declared, “will not support the establishment of a Palestinian state until its leaders engage in a sustained fight against the terrorists and dismantle their infrastructure.” This commitment constitutes what I have called the “Fourth Pillar” of the Bush Doctrine, and many friends of Israel now believe that Bush has reneged on it.

These critics had argued that Annapolis had undermined if not destroyed this pillar. Annapolis reversed the order inherent in the June 24th speech and explicit in the Roadmap, requiring final status issues to be discussed prior to the end of terror.

In discussing the State Department inspired Roadmap he fails to mention the inclusion of the Sauidi Plan as a governing principle along with Res 242 and Res 338. This failure is a big one because that Plan has dominated the negotiations rather than the Resolutions.

Secondly he fails to appreciate, or even mention, one of the adverse consequences of arriving at a "shelf agreement". It is wrong to argue that it won't be enforced until the Palestinians end terror, because its mere existence will require Israel not to violate it by putting contrary facts on the ground.

[SJackson]

Abbreviated mideast ping

[elhombrelibre]

Mr. Podhoretz is one of the great America minds of out time.