The Rights and Aspirations of the Iraqi People (Text Only)

July 8, 2004

In the President's Words:
The Rights and Aspirations of the Peoples of the Middle East

"I believe the Palestinian people deserve democratic institutions and responsible leaders. So for the sake of peace, I'm committed to helping the Palestinian people establish a democratic and viable state of their own."
President Bush
Elysee Palace, Nice, France
June 5, 2004

"We believe that every person has a right to think and pray and live in obedience to God and conscience, not in frightened submission to despots. We believe that societies find their greatness by encouraging the creative gifts of their people, not in controlling their lives and feeding their resentments."
President Bush
United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado
June 2, 2004

"The world's 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. ... We must be strong in our belief that free societies are hopeful societies and peaceful societies."
President Bush
Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.
May 18, 2004

"Freedom is also at the heart of our approach to bringing peace between Israel and the Palestinian people."
President Bush
Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.
May 18, 2004

"The Palestinian people deserve a better future, and that future can be achieved through democracy."
President Bush
Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.
May 18, 2004

"Our vision is a Middle East where young Israelis and Palestinians can play and learn and grow without living in the shadow of death."
President Bush
Washington Convention Center, Washington, D.C.
May 18, 2004

"...a peaceful Palestinian state must be a state in which youngsters are well educated and have a chance to make a living and have a chance to – parents have a chance to realize – raise their children in a peaceful setting."
President Bush
The Map Room, Washington, D.C.
May 6, 2004

"We want there to be peace. We want people to have a living. We want people to send their kids to schools that work. We want there to be health care. We want there to be a Palestinian state at peace with its neighbors. We want there to be reform. We want people to have a chance to participate in the process."
President Bush
The Map Room, Washington, D.C.
May 6, 2004

"The world must recognize the possibility of a Palestinian state. I mean, the development of a Palestinian state is – that's free and democratic – and by the way, democracy doesn't have to look like America or Europe; it's got to be attuned to the cultures and to the Palestinian people. It's what they want."
President Bush
The Rose Garden, Washington, D.C.
May 6, 2004

"[T]he Palestinians are people who need hope – hope for a better life, hope to be able to make a living, hope to raise their families in a peaceful situation. That's what they want, and the best opportunity for that to happen is for there to be a state that emerges that provides the framework for a peaceful coexistence in the Middle East."
President Bush
The Rose Garden, Washington, D.C.
May 6, 2004

"Prime Minister Sharon made a decision to withdraw from the Gaza and from settlements on the West Bank, which I thought was a very strong decision and an important decision, because it now gives us a chance to move in and to say to the Palestinians, 'Here's your chance to build a state, to put the institutions in place for a state to emerge, that speaks to the aspirations and hopes of the Palestinian people, that is a peaceful state.'"
President Bush
The Map Room, Washington, D.C.
May 5, 2004

"...I was the first President ever to articulate the vision of a Palestinian state. No other President has ever done that. I was pleased to do so because I believe that is the best hope for the Palestinian people and the best way to promote peace."
President Bush
The Oval Office, Washington, D.C.
April 28, 2004

"And now is the time for the world to step up and take advantage of this opportunity and help to build a Palestinian state that's committed to the principles of individual rights and rule of law and fairness and justice so the Palestinian people have a chance to grow a peaceful state and so that Israel has a partner in peace, not a launching pad of terrorist attacks, on her border."
President Bush
Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, D.C.
April 21, 2004

"I think this is a fantastic opportunity – the fact that Ariel Sharon said, we're going to withdraw from territory, is an historic moment. And it creates a chance for the world to come together to help develop a Palestinian state based upon a solid foundation, a foundation where the institutions are bigger than the people..."
President Bush
The Rose Garden, Washington, D.C.
April 16, 2004

"This opportunity holds great promise for the Palestinian people to build a modern economy that will lift millions out of poverty, create the institutions and habits of liberty, and renounce the terror and violence that impede their aspirations and take a terrible toll on innocent life."
President Bush
Cross Hall, Washington, D.C.
April 14, 2004

"The United States supports the establishment of a Palestinian state that is viable, contiguous, sovereign, and independent, so that the Palestinian people can build their own future."
President Bush Letter to Prime Minister Sharon of Israel on Middle East Peace
April 14, 2004

"The policy of the United States is to help bring peace to the Middle East and to hope—bring hope to the people of that region."
President Bush
Cross Hall, Washington, D.C.
April 14, 2004

"As the greater Middle East increasingly becomes a place where freedom flourishes, the lives of millions in that region will be bettered..."
President Bush
Crawford, Texas
April 9, 2004

"The advance of freedom in the greater Middle East has given new rights and new hopes to women."
President Bush
East Room, Washington, D.C.
March 12, 2004

"We seek to spread the benefits of democracy and tolerance and freedom throughout the greater Middle East ."
President Bush
Ronald and International Trade Center, Washington, D.C.
March 2, 2004

"It is time for Palestinian leadership to emerge that believes in peace and believes in the aspirations of the Palestinian people."
President Bush
The Roosevelt Room, Washington, D.C.
December 12, 2003

"It's in Israel's interests there be a Palestinian state. It's in the poor, suffering Palestinian people's interest there be a Palestinian state."
President Bush
The Roosevelt Room, Washington, D.C.
December 12, 2003

"...I believe that the Palestinians deserve a state. As a matter of fact, I'm the first United States President to stand up and call for that."
President Bush
American Embassy, London, England
November 19, 2003

"We believe that freedom is the right of every person. We believe that freedom is the hope of every culture. We believe that freedom is the future of every nation in the Middle East ."
President Bush
Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, Washington, D.C.
November 11, 2003

"I believe every person has the ability and the right to be free."
President Bush
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Washington, D.C.
November 6, 2003

"Representative governments in the Middle East will reflect their own cultures. They will not and should not look like us."
President Bush
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Washington, D.C.
November 6, 2003

"The good and capable people of the Middle East all deserve responsible leadership. For too long, many people in that region have been victims and subjects. They deserve to be active citizens."
President Bush
U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Washington, D.C.
November 6, 2003

"This administration is prepared to help the Palestinians develop an economy. We're prepared to help the long-suffering Palestinian people."
President Bush
The Rose Garden, Washington, D.C.
October 28, 2003

"The big objective, of course, is for there to be peace and freedom, peace in the Middle East , freedom for people who are oppressed."
President Bush
United Nations, New York City
September 23, 2003

"The Palestinian people deserve their own state, and they will gain that state by embracing new leaders committed to reform, to fighting terror, and to building peace."
President Bush
United Nations, New York City
September 23, 2003

"The world will come together to help an economy grow so that the Palestinian people can have a hopeful future."
President Bush
Camp David, Maryland
September 18, 2003

"I think a Palestinian state is one of the most hopeful things ... for the Palestinian people and for the Israelis, for that matter."
President Bush
Camp David, Maryland
September 18, 2003

"We have seen freedom's power in Europe and Asia and Africa and Latin America, and we will see freedom's power in the Middle East. Every person in every culture has the inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
President Bush Statement
The Rotunda at the National Archives, Washington, D.C.
September 17, 2003

"America is firmly committed to the security of Israel as a Jewish state, and we are firmly committed to the safety of the Israeli people. We have now a tremendous opportunity to add to Israeli security and safety and add to the hopes of the average Palestinian citizen by making tangible progress towards two states living side by side in peace."
President Bush
The Rose Garden, Washington, D.C.
July 29, 2003

"Israelis and Palestinians deserve the same chance to live normal lives, free from fear, free from hatred and violence, and free from harassment."
President Bush
The Rose Garden, Washington, D.C.
July 29, 2003

"The Government of Israel recognized that Israel 's own interests would be served when the Palestinians govern themselves in their own state, a peaceful, democratic state where the forces of terror have been replaced by the rule of law."
President Bush
The Rose Garden, Washington, D.C.
July 25, 2003

"The Palestinian people, like people everywhere, deserve freedom. They deserve an honest government, and they deserve peace."
President Bush
The Rose Garden, Washington, D.C.
July 25, 2003

"We're seeing movement toward reform and freedom in other parts of the Middle East . The leadership and courage of Prime Minister Abbas and Prime Minister Sharon are giving their peoples new hope for progress."
President Bush
Cross Hall, Washington, D.C.
July 17, 2003

"Each of us is here because we understand that all people have the right to live in peace. We believe that with hard work and good faith and courage, it is possible to bring peace to the Middle East."
President Bush
Aqaba, Jordan
June 4, 2003

"Great and hopeful change is coming to the Middle East ... Prime Minister Abbas now leads the Palestinian Cabinet. By his strong leadership, by building the institutions of Palestinian democracy, and by rejecting terror, he is serving the deepest hopes of his people."
President Bush
Aqaba, Jordan
June 4, 2003

"All here today now share a goal: the Holy Land must be shared between the state of Palestine and the state of Israel, living at peace with each other and with every nation of the Middle East. All sides will benefit from this achievement and all sides have responsibilities to meet. As the road map accepted by the party makes clear, both must make tangible immediate steps toward this two-state vision."
President Bush
Aqaba, Jordan
June 4, 2003

"Great success happens when there's two states, living side-by-side in peace. And this is progress."
President Bush
Aboard Air Force One
June 4, 2003

"We meet in Sinai at a moment of promise for the cause of peace in the Middle East . We see the potential for unity against terror. We see the potential for the birth of a new and Palestinian state. We see the potential for broader peace among the peoples of this region. Achieving these goals will require courage and moral vision on every side, from every leader. America is committed, and I am committed, to helping all the parties to reach the hard and heroic decisions that will lead to peace."
President Bush Meets with President Mubarak of Egypt
Sharm el Sheikh
June 3, 2003

"[W]e all have got to work together to make security real -- not only for Israel , but for the Palestinian people."
President Bush
The Library
May 29, 2003

"[T]here are responsibilities that all of us have as leaders, not only responsibility to the new Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, not only the responsibility of the Israeli Prime Minister, but a responsibility for the leadership in the Arab world to fight terror, prevent killers from stopping the process from going forward."
President Bush
The Roosevelt Room, Washington, D.C.
May 29, 2003

"Some believe that democracy in the Middle East is unlikely, if not impossible. They argue that the people of the Middle East have little desire for freedom or self-government. These same arguments have been heard before in other times, about other people. [e]very milestone of liberty over the last 60 years was declared impossible until the very moment it happened. The history of the modern world offers a lesson for the skeptics: do not bet against the success of freedom."
President Bush Presses for Peace in the Middle East
Remarks in Comencement Address at the University of South Carolina
May 9, 2003

"We also see hopeful signs of change. About half of all the Muslim people live under democratic rule in nations from Turkey to Indonesia. The governments of Bahrain and Morocco have held recent and free elections. And Jordan will hold elections next month. The people of Qatar have approved a new constitution guaranteeing basic freedoms. Crown Prince Abdallah of Saudi Arabia has proposed a new Arab charter calling for internal reform and enhanced political participation in nations of that region. [a]nd in Iran , the desire for freedom is stirring. In the face of harsh repression, Iranians are courageously speaking out for democracy and the rule of law and human rights. And the United States strongly supports their aspirations for freedom."
President Bush Presses for Peace in the Middle East
Remarks in Commencement Address at the University of South Carolina
May 9, 2003

"I urge Israelis and Palestinians to work with us and with other members of the international community, and above all directly with each other to immediately end the violence and return to a path of peace based on the principles and objectives outlined in my statement of June 24, 2002. Both Israelis and Palestinians have suffered from the terror and violence, and from the loss of hope in a better future of peace and security. An opportunity now exists to move forward. The United States will do all it can to seize this opportunity. To that end, I have asked Secretary Powell to travel to the region to begin working with the parties so that we can take advantage of this moment."
President Bush statement on the Middle East
Office of the Press Secretary
April 30, 2003

" America is committed, and I am personally committed, to implementing our road map toward peace. Our efforts are guided by clear principles: We believe that all people in the Middle East - Arab and Israeli alike - deserve to live in dignity, under free and honest governments. We believe that people who live in freedom are more likely to reject bitterness, blind hatred and terror; and are far more likely to turn their energy toward reconciliation, reform and development.

"There can be no peace for either side in the Middle East unless there is freedom for both. Reaching that destination will not be easy, but we can see the way forward. Now the parties must take that way, step by step, and America will be the active partner of every party that seeks true peace."
President Bush Statement on the Road Map to Peace
The Rose Garden
March 14, 2003

"Success in Iraq could also begin a new stage for Middle Eastern peace, and set in motion progress towards a truly democratic Palestinian state. The passing of Saddam Hussein's regime will deprive terrorist networks of a wealthy patron that pays for terrorist training, and offers rewards to families of suicide bombers. And other regimes will be given a clear warning that support for terror will not be tolerated."
President Bush Discusses the Future of Iraq
Washington Hilton Hotel
February 26, 2003

"The United States and other nations are working on a road map for peace. We are setting out the necessary conditions for progress toward the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine , living side by side in peace and security. It is the commitment of our government -- and my personal commitment -- to implement the road map and to reach that goal."
President Bush Discusses the Future of Iraq
Washington Hilton Hotel
February 26, 2003

"[T]here 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

"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."
President Bush Statement 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."
President Bush Radio Address to the Nation
April 6, 2002

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