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Many pundits in Washington, among them supporters of Israel, anticipated better results from the month-long war against Hizbullah. They were hoping for Israel to put Iran and Syria on the defensive by using IDF military might to eradicate Hizbullah much faster. Some have already concluded that this was an opportunity squandered. The truth is that the last month has not been "a walk in the park" for Israel. We have been fighting a ruthless, well-armed and well-trained, albeit small, army that has spent the last six years preparing for this war while we have been busy on many other fronts....

Stubborn or courageous? Calculating or clueless? Smart or dumb? Historians will have a tough time trying to define George Bush. At least the honest historians will. And by honest, I mean those who will make an effort to glean the truth from the avalanche of contemporary reports portraying the 43rd President as (take your pick) 1) a captive of a neoconservative conspiracy; 2) a doltish, two dimensional clod who sees all the problems of the world in black and white; or 3) an unsophisticated lout in thrall to a religious fanaticism that sees conflict in the Middle East as proof...

JEDDAH: Ever since the seizure of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah sparked an Israeli offensive in Lebanon, Huda Fatani has set her alarm for 3:15 each morning, gotten up to perform her ablutions, then spent more than an hour on her knees praying for the success of Lebanese militia. Despite her gruelling days at the King Fahd Hospital, where she works as a hematologist, Fatani said this was the least she could do to support the group fighting on behalf of all Arabs. Hezbollah’s fight with Israel, viewed widely here as a battle between the militia’s David and the Jewish...

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration is rushing a delivery of precision-guided bombs to Israel, which requested the expedited shipment last week after beginning its air campaign against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, The New York Times reported on Saturday. Citing U.S. officials who spoke on Friday on condition of anonymity, the Times said the decision to ship the weapons quickly came after relatively little debate within the administration, and noted in its report that its disclosure threatens to anger Arab governments and others who could perceive Washington as aiding Israel in the manner that Iran has armed Hezbollah. The munitions are...

The US is rushing a delivery of "smart bombs" to Israel after Israel indicated it needed the bombs for its military campaign against the Hizbullah. The New York Times reported Saturday that the decision to rush the shipment was reached after little debate within the administration. The "smart bombs" - bombs which are equipped with precision guidance devises, are part of an arms deal reached months ago between Israel and the US, but the fighting in Lebanon led Israel to ask for an expedited delivery of the bombs, before the agreed scheduled of supply. According to the report, the US...

Correct the damage Unfortunately, the leader of only one nation, the US, President George Bush, has been unequivocal in his support for Israel's position. Given that hundreds of rockets have rained down on Israel in the past three days, the death toll here can be considered relatively, mercifully, low. Nonetheless, a growing number of families - relatives of slain civilians, soldiers and sailors - are in mourning. All Israelis are feeling the pain of these families, as well as the one quarter of our population, from Haifa to Safed to Tiberias, who are under orders to remain in or near...

The US president, in St Petersburg for the G8 summit, has insisted Israel is defending itself against terror and Hezbollah is the root of the crisis. George W Bush added that the Israelis had to be mindful of the consequences of their actions, as fresh air strikes and rocket attacks were reported. French President Jacques Chirac spoke out in defence of Lebanon. The leaders of the world's eight top economic powers have begun working meetings focusing on energy supplies. With global energy use likely to increase by 50% in the next 25 years, Russian President Vladimir Putin is keen to...

The Pentagon notified Congress of plans to sell Israel jet fuel valued at up to $US210 million ($A280 million) "to keep peace and security in the region". "The proposed sale of the JP-8 aviation fuel will enable Israel to maintain the operational capability of its aircraft inventory," the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in notice required by law. It said Israel had requested the sale, but did not say when the request was made. The move was announced after Israeli aircraft rocketed runways at Beirut's international airport and blasted the main Beirut-Damascus highway, tightening an air, sea and land...

Bush's Promise to Defend Israel Against Iran July 07, 2006 Bitter Lemons International Michael Rubin Asked on February 1, 2006 whether the United States would protect Israel militarily against Iran, President George W. Bush left no doubt: "You bet, we'll defend Israel." To some realists, his statement was evidence that Israel had become a strategic liability to the United States. A few prominent Jewish leaders, worried that Jews might be blamed for any military conflict with Iran, urged Bush to tone down his statements pledging support for Israel. "We are basically telling the president: We appreciate it, we welcome it....

BUSH: 'In the event of any attack on Israel, the United States will come to Israel's aid'...

President George W Bush yesterday issued a stark warning to Iran when he said that America's military would be ordered into action if Teheran carried out its threat to attack Israel.Using the most uncompromising language he has employed to date in dealing with Iran's nuclear threat, Mr Bush said: "I see a threat in Iran. The threat is, of course, their stated objective to destroy our strong ally Israel. "I've made it clear and I'll make it clear again, that we will use military might to protect our ally Israel," Mr Bush said to applause. In his response to a...

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - President George W. Bush vowed on Wednesday the United States would defend Israel militarily if needed against Iran and denounced Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for "menacing talk" against Israel. I am concerned about a person that, one, tries to rewrite the history of the Holocaust, and two, has made it clear that his intentions are to destroy Israel," Bush said. "Israel is a solid ally of the United States, we will rise to Israel's defense if need be. So this kind of menacing talk is disturbing. It's not only disturbing to the United States, it's disturbing...

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (Reuters) - President George W. Bush vowed on Wednesday the United States will rise to Israel's defense if needed against Iran and denounced Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for "menacing talk" against Israel. In a Reuters interview aboard Air Force One en route to Nashville, Bush also said he saw a "very good chance" that the governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency will refer Iran to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions. "I am concerned about a person that, one, tries to rewrite the history of the Holocaust, and two, has made it clear that his...

Tilting towards terrorists Under Condoleezza Rice, U.S. foreign policy continues to veer in the direction of the "Arabism" of her mentor Brent Scowcroft and James Baker. Diana West points to the latest evidence. First, according to West (who cites worldtribune.com), the Bush adminstration snubbed Israel's efforts to provide aid in the early aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Then, once it finally accepted Israel's aid, the State Department apparently omitted Israel's name from the list of countries participating in the relief effort, a list that touts Arab aid-givers. These affronts may be less the work of Rice than of Karen Hughes, to...

Last Thursday Israel sent a plane laden with relief supplies to New Orleans to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina. The Foreign Ministry's Web site noted that the shipment included "80 tons of food, disposable diapers, beds, blankets, generators and additional equipment which were donated from different governmental institutions, civilian institutions and the IDF." The Web site's notice of the shipment is rather confusing. The first half of the entry announced that the IDF's chief medical officer, Brig. Gen. Yeheskel Levy, would be leading the Israeli delegation that was set to depart last Wednesday, Sept. 7. A few paragraphs down, the...

WASHINGTON - President Bush has invited Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to his Texas ranch in mid-April to help advance the Middle East peace process, a senior administration official said Friday. Invitations to the president’s private ranch at Crawford, Texas, typically are reserved for top diplomatic efforts. This one comes as Bush has been citing progress in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, the official told The Associated Press of the invitation on a condition of anonymity because the trip has not been officially announced. -snip-

President George W. Bush on Thursday addressed the issue of Iran's possible nuclear armament, declining to offer his full endorsement of Europe's negotiations to get Iran to halt its suspected nuclear weapons program. He said the United States and Europe share the goal that Iran must not develop a nuclear weapon. Still, he left it up in the air whether he fully supports Europe's approach. "I look forward to ... discussing strategies, ways forward with the Europeans to make sure we continue to speak with one voice, and that is Iran should not have a nuclear weapon and how to...

(CPOD) Oct. 15, 2004 – Many Israeli adults want George W. Bush to earn a second term as president of the United States, according to a poll by Dialog published in Haaretz. 50 per cent of respondents want the Republican incumbent to win the Nov. 2 election, while 24 per cent would choose Democratic nominee John Kerry. In April, Bush backed the "Disengagement Plan" tabled by Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, which calls for the redeployment of forces along new security lines, as well as changes in settlements to reduce the number of Israelis living among Palestinians. 40 per cent...

President Bush waves to reporters as he arrives at the White House on Thursday in Washington. The Republican Party's draft reiterates Bush's commitment that under any final-status agreement, Palestinian refugees will not be resettled in Israel. (AP) WASHINGTON - The Republican Party's draft platform on Israel reiterates President George Bush's commitment that under any final-status agreement with the Palestinians, Palestinian refugees will not be resettled in Israel and Israel will not be compelled to return to the 1949 armistice lines. The draft was published Thursday in advance of the party's convention, which opens in New York on Monday. The platform,...

The United States and Israel have many mutual political interests. Ethical and altruistic considerations aside, this is the primary impetus behind international alliances. I do love Israel, and I am proud that my nation is Israel's best friend, but I know that it's not for purely noble reasons. Geopolitical manoeuvring and backroom deals are part and parcel of the international political landscape. However, so long as such practical matters of utility are necessary, I am very glad that such a fortuity has brought our two nations and peoples together. As an average citizen, I don't need to understand in great...