If President Bush truly wanted to demonstrate a change of heart in dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, he should undertake actions which spell out his sincerity. The very least he could do is demand that the Israelis show compliance to six key tests in the same way he and his British ally Tony Blair have demanded of Iraq-where they are also ‘working to bring peace and democracy’.
The first test would be for Israel to issue a statement stating that it has in the past refused to admit that it possessed chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. This should be followed by a full disclosure of all such weapons and its destruction under the watchful eye of international weapons inspectors.
The second test would be that for Israel to dismantle all means of delivering such weapons i.e. missile launchers, F-16s and similar equipment
The third test would be for Israel to vacate all settlements in the occupied territories and pay compensation to every affected family.
The fourth test would be for Israel to hand over all individuals deemed guilty of war crimes or crimes against humanity to stand trial. This by conservative estimates includes nearly all the governmental officials since 1948
The fifth test would be to facilitate the ‘right of return’ for all Palestinians that have had to live in refugee camps in surrounding countries, as is already contained in UN resolutions.
The sixth test would be to renounce the Zionist idea, which seeks to discriminate against the Palestinian people, and which is expansionist and war like in nature. This should be accompanied by the immediate cancellation of all US aid.
Comment…of course the reality is the US nor the muslim rulers will ever dream of putting one of these point to Israel, let alone six