President Bush believes in the non-negotiable demands of human dignity for all people everywhere. He makes that clear by working for peace and addressing the hopes of Israelis and Palestinians. As he said in his landmark June 24 Rose Garden speech, “This moment is both an opportunity and a test for all parties in the Middle East: an opportunity to lay the foundations for future peace.”
- “We're working with the Sharon government to allow for tax receipts to be redistributed amongst the Palestinian people. And there are a lot of non-governmental organizations doing work within the Palestinian Territory to make sure that people don't starve. But the net effect of terrorism is to not only stop the peace process, but is to cause suffering amongst all the people of the region. And that's why our war against terror must -- must remain steadfast and strong, wherever terror exists.”
President Bush Signs Child Internet Safety Legislation
The Roosevelt Room, Washington, D.C.
December 4, 2002
- “I appreciate so very much the fact that the Prime Minister is committed to working with his Cabinet to move some of the Palestinian money to the Palestinian people; that he cares about the human condition of the Palestinians; and that under a monitoring system to make sure that the money being sent back to the Palestinian people will not be used for terrorist activities, that he is willing to work with his Cabinet to do just that. I believe that's important. We talked about the framework for peace, the idea of working toward peace, the idea of two states living side-by-side in peace as a part of our vision.”
President Bush Welcomes Prime Minister Sharon to White House
The Oval Office, Washington, D.C.
October 16, 2002
- Well, first of all, I'm committed to peace. That's -- I can speak for myself. And I'm committed to a vision of two states respecting each other, two states living side by side in peace.
President Bush, King Abdullah Discuss Middle East Peace
The Oval Office, Washington, D.C.
August 1, 2002
- “This moment is both an opportunity and a test for all parties in the Middle East: an opportunity to lay the foundations for future peace; a test to show who is serious about peace and who is not. The choice here is stark and simple. The Bible says, ‘I have set before you life and death; therefore, choose life.’ The time has arrived for everyone in this conflict to choose peace, and hope, and life.”
President Bush Calls for New Palestinian Leadership
The Rose Garden
June 24, 2002
- “I don't think Mr. Arafat is the issue. I think the issue is the Palestinian people. And as I have expressed myself, I am disappointed that he has not led in such a way that the Palestinian people have hope and confidence. And so, therefore, what we've got to do is work to put institutions in place which will allow for a government to develop which will bring confidence not only to Israelis, but the Palestinians…
“And so, first things first, and that is, what institutions are necessary to give the Palestinian people hope and to give the Israelis confidence that the emerging government will be someone with whom they can deal. And that's going to require security steps; transparency, when it comes to economic matters; anti-corruption devices; rule of law, enforced by a court system.”
President Bush Meets with Prime Minister Sharon
Washington, D.C.
June 10, 2002
- “The United States and the EU share a common vision of two states, Palestine and Israel, living side by side in peace and security. This vision offers the Palestinian people a new opportunity to choose how they live. We should take this opportunity to help build institutions that will serve the Palestinian people, a Palestinian state and its neighbors, as well.”
President Bush Meets with European Leaders
The East Room, Washington, D.C.
May 2, 2002
- “There are clearly people in the Middle East who would use terror as a weapon to derail any peace process. And for there to be peace -- something I long for, and something I know that Israel and the Palestinian people long for -- in order for there to be peace, we must continue to rout out terror. And the message can't be more clear, and we're going to continue to hold people accountable for results.”
Statement by the President on the Middle East
The Bush Ranch, Crawford, Texas
April 28, 2002
- “When an 18 year old Palestinian girl is induced to blow herself up, and in the process kills a 17 year old Israeli girl, the future, itself, is dying -- the future of the Palestinian people and the future of the Israeli people. The United States is strongly committed to finding a just settlement in the Middle East. That settlement must lead to two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security.”
Radio Address by the President to the Nation
April 6, 2002
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