FORWARDING FREEDOM:

Ensure Stability in Middle East By Building Just, Free Societies (GEORGE W. BUSH, September 3, 2004, The Forward)

Terrorism has many faces, but all those who use terror as a weapon against free people burn with the same hatred and the same will to destroy. To build the lasting peace that we both seek in all corners of the globe, we must use every resource to defeat terror and ensure our security. America has led a relentless global campaign against terrorists and their supporters, and we are glad to have Israel at our side. [...]

The peace we seek depends on defeating the violent, but the mission we pursue throughout the world is so much greater: the ideology of terrorism must be conquered and overcome. Terrorists find influence and recruits in societies where bitterness and resentment are common, and hope and opportunity are rare. Our best hope for lasting security and stability across the Middle East is the establishment of just and free societies. And so across that vital region, America is standing for the expansion of human liberty.

Freedom is at the heart of our approach to bringing peace between Israel and the Palestinian people. My administration is strongly committed to the security of Israel as a vibrant Jewish state.

For the sake of peace, we are committed to helping the Palestinian people establish a democratic and viable state of their own. Israel will benefit from a truly responsible partner in seeking to achieve peace. The Palestinian people deserve democratic institutions and responsible leaders. Progress toward this vision creates responsibilities for Israel, the Palestinian people and Arab nations. It is essential to the successful establishment of peace that all parties renounce violence and mutually pursue the war against terror.

Security is the foundation for peace. All parties must embrace democracy and reform and take the necessary steps for peace. I am troubled by the violence in Gaza and it underscores the need for all parties to seize every opportunity for peace. I strongly support the plan announced by Prime Minister Sharon to withdraw military installations and settlements from Gaza and parts of the West Bank. This plan is a bold and courageous step that can bring us closer to the goal of two states — Israel and Palestine — living side by side in peace and security.

Sharon's disengagement decision has given the Palestinian people and the free world a chance to take bold steps of their own toward peace. We must now call upon the Palestinian people to reject their corrupt and failed leaders and insist on a leadership committed to reform, progress and peace. When they renounce the terror and violence that frustrate their aspirations and cost so many innocent lives, they will have the opportunity to build a modern economy, creating the institutions and developing the habits of liberty. The Palestinian people deserve a better future, just as the people of Israel deserve a better future. And democracy will deliver this future to us all.

An essay notable not just for the forceful association of the war on terror with the liberalization of the Middle East but for the venue in which he presents it.

Posted by Orrin Judd at September 2, 2004 4:45 PM