Finally, A Little Pressure On Abbas

[Annie]

No doubt, more could be done. It's past time to keep saying, "Poor me, now power..."

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050829/pl_nm/mideast_bush_dc

Bush urges Abbas to show 'political courage'

By Adam EntousMon Aug 29, 5:44 PM ET

President Bush stepped up pressure on the Palestinians one day after a suicide bomb attack, urging President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday to show the "political courage" to rein in militants.

Bush called Israel's withdrawal from Gaza the first step toward creating a democracy for the Palestinians. "It took political courage to make that decision," Bush said of the withdrawal of Jewish settlers.

"And now it's going to take political courage by the Palestinians and ... Abbas to step up, reject violence, reject terrorism and build a democracy," he added during a speech in El Mirage, Arizona.

Bush's comments marked an escalation in U.S. pressure on Abbas to begin taking action against militants in response to Israel's withdrawal.

The call for action appeared to run counter to assertions by Palestinian officials in Washington that the White House understood that Abbas and his security forces would need more time to prepare for any major push to disarm the militants.

A senior Bush administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issues, said the White House believes that Abbas already has the means to restrain the groups responsible for attacks on Israel.

"We want him to be a responsible leader. He needs to rein in the groups that want to harm the 'road map' process," the official said, referring to the U.S.-backed peace process that envisions creating a viable Palestinian state.

Abbas has said he prefers to co-opt gunmen into the Palestinian security services and political system rather than dismantle them. WORKING GREAT SO FAR.

Sunday's suicide bombing critically wounded two guards at an Israeli bus station, the first such attack since Israel finished evacuating its 21 settlements in Gaza and four of 120 in the northern West Bank last week.

Islamic Jihad and al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed wing of Abbas's Fatah faction, said they carried out the bombing in response to Israel's killing of five Palestinians last Thursday.

Abbas condemned the suicide bombing.