President George W. Bush finally gave his long awaited speech in which he shared his 'vision' for peace in the Middle East. Unlike the Powell speech in Louisville University in Kentucky, Bush was only critical of the Palestinian people and leadership. Bush portrayed Israel, the occupiers, as victims fully describing their fears and touching upon the human side, while failing to recognize the much greater human suffering imposed onto the Palestinian people by Israel's military, apartheid like occupation.

Bush was very critical in his remarks to the Palestinians and their leadership, placing an impossible number of conditions and an arduous burden on a powerless people living under Israel's devastating military occupation. Only full compliance to these conditions would lead Bush to kindly plead with Israel to comply with what the international community and the Mitchell report has long demanded of them.

Palestinians are expected to somehow reform their government, unify their flattened forces and hold elections, while enduring occupation, restriction of movement, humiliation and destruction in the hands of Israeli forces present in Palestinian urban neighborhoods. Palestinians are not entitled to defend themselves, while Israelis have a free reign to use the full force of its sophisticated military to ravage Palestinian land, institutions and society under the guise of 'security'.

In a really pathetic attempt to reach out to an American president who does not view Palestinians as equal human beings, the PNA embraced Bush's call to self-negate! Apparently confused and unaware of the far-reaching consequences of Bush's vision, they wholeheartedly welcomed the opportunity to work with the current American government missing the point that they were not welcomed.

In reality this speech marked Sharon's triumph over Arafat. With nothing demanded of the current Israeli government, they were handed additional time to carry out its oppressive operations against the Palestinians. This envisioned plan simply demands Palestinians to succumb to the wishes of its oppressor, Sharon, and their ever-faithful ally, the US administration. In return for this obedience, America offers the reward of its support for the creation of a 'provisional' Palestinian state, with all the ambiguity and vagueness inherent in such a carefully phrased offer. A 'provisional' or perhaps more accurately a puppet state does not meet the aspirations of the Palestinian people. Moreover, lest we forget, the current Israeli government is staunchly opposed to the creation of any Palestinian state, whether permanent or interim.

International laws and agreements already recognize the Palestinian people's right to live in sovereignty on 22% of historical Palestine. Accepting this compromise was a great sacrifice for Palestinians, sadly, this was neither sufficient nor apparent to the Israelis, who continue to aggressively reject peace lead on by the indulgence and blindness of the international community. Israel has for too long been allowed to remain above the law and Palestinians are left to wander who is going to keep Israel in check? Who is going to punish Israel for breaking agreements? What action is America willing to take against the oppressors? What peace plan is Bush speaking of when 3 million Palestinians listen to his speech while trapped at their homes under curfew, being surrounded by American made military machinery?

This is not a plan for peace; but rather words uttered many times before to no avail. The American government fails to recognize that the revengeful Sharon has no intentions of co-existing with the Palestinians in peace. The Arabs had offered peace and normalization to Israel and Sharon's answer was to murder peace, an official position adopted by America now. Bush asks that Arafat transform his words into actions, while he in turn offers us inaction and feeble words.