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October 6, 2008 9:52:41 AM CDT

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Bush's Palestine Play Doomed

Posted Nov 25, 07 8:00 AM CST in World 

(Newser) – George Bush, like Bill Clinton before him, is making a last-minute push to broker Arab-Israeli peace, but with much steeper odds, says Reuters' Arshad Mohammed. Bush, Mahmoud Abbas, and Ehud Olmert are all unpopular, especially compared to their 2000 counterparts—Clinton, Yasser Arafat, and Ehud Barak. “When Clinton tried both sides actually felt they could do it,” said an Arab diplomat. Now, neither does.

Bush has long neglected the conflict, critics say, but he does have the advantage of starting talks eight months earlier than Clinton. He’s also made overtures to other major Arab states, hoping their attendance could help Abbas. What if, in spite of everything, Bush succeeds? “It would be a welcome irony,” said a Clinton aid.

Source Reuters

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President Bush, center, meets with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, left, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 19, 2007. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)   (Associated Press)
In this handout photo provided by the Palestinian Authority, U.S. President George W. Bush, right, shakes hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during their meeting in New York, in this Monday,...   (Associated Press)
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, right, looks on as President Bush, center, meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, left, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York...   (Associated Press)
President Bush, right, shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, June 19, 2007. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)   (Associated Press)
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George W. Bush  • Israel  • Bill Clinton  • Palestine  • Ehud Olmert  • Mahmoud Abbas  • Israel and Palestinians  • Annapolis  • Yasir Arafat


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