President Bush is now meeting with Israeli PM Ariel Sharon, and essentially trying to tell Sharon that he must negotiate with Arafat. I’m deeply disappointed with this – Arafat is not a "partner in peace", he’s a petty tyrant who funds terrorism against a democratic state. He’s should be dealt with as such, not as any kind of partner. Bush is making a major mistake by coddling with Arafat.
If I were Sharon, I would ask Bush to cooperate with Mullah Omar, who was the "elected" leader of Afghanistan, and is someone who is a partner in peace with the US. It’s as preposterous as saying that Arafat is someone who wants peace and might drive the point home.
Bush needs to listen to Sharon. The Palestinians can not and should not be allowed to form a state until they cease to be a breeding ground for terror. Without any democractic credentials whatsoever, a Palestinian state would be another fanatic theocracy that threatens their neighbors and harms global stability. The plan Bush would implement would lead to more terrorism not less. Sharon needs to remind the President that either you are with the civilized world or you are against it, and right now our own President is trying to ride the fence.
