Not only was the onced-vaunted roadmap ignored, but he did not use the words "Israel," "Palestinian," or "Palestine" at all in the nearly hour-long speech, the first such address he has given without touching on the subject, even briefly.
Bush's one reference to the deteriorating situation between the two sides came in the context of the global war on terrorism when he noted that "Jerusalem," among other world cities, had been the site of terrorist attacks.
His failure to offer even a hint that his administration is preparing a renewed push to resolve the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians - as many in the Middle East and Europe had hoped - is sure to raise new questions about Washington's interest in resolving the situation.
US officials, including Secretary of State Colin Powell, have been suggesting since the beginning of the year that the US, along with others, was ready to fully re-engage in the peace process.
"With our quartet partners - the United Nations, the European Union and Russia - we will help Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace, so that a free Palestine will exist alongside a secure and democratic Jewish state in Israel," Powell wrote in a piece entitled "What We Will Do in 2004" published in the New York Times on January 1.
But, although Bush was the first US president to call specifically for the creation of an independent state called "Palestine" three years ago, he appears now to have largely withdrawn from the effort, frustrated by continuing anti-Israeli violence.
Yesterday, the president's Middle East remarks were confined to the situation in Iraq, a defense of the US-led war to oust Saddam Hussein and a brief warning for Iran to follow the lead of Libya in giving up the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.
In addition, he asked Congress to authorize an additional $40-million in funding for democratisation projects across the region. – Sapa-AFP.
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