Palestinians cannot rely on unfair umpire

Extracts from al Jazeera:

Quote: "I fear that President Bush's visit will be no more than a public relations stunt to bolster the shaky Ehud Olmert's government" - Nehad Ismail, London

Bush, the US president, wrapped up his visit to the Holy Land walking in the footsteps of Jesus at Capernaum on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, but few observers expect the miracle of peace to come in the American leader's wake.

Bush declared his intention was to nudge both the Israeli and Palestinian leaders to sign up to a treaty before he leaves the White House in a year's time.

However, ordinary Palestinians felt that it was their president, Mahmoud Abbas, who was getting all the nudges while Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, was getting the winks.

President Bush said that the occupation had to end, but in the same breath indicated there would be no return to the borders that existed before the 1967 war.

That seems to mean that he would allow Israel to keep the large settlement blocks built illegally on occupied Palestinian land.

The right of return for Palestinian refugees was also publicly buried, replaced by a compensation formula, finally turning the presidential back on UN resolutions that have sustained Palestinian hopes for generations.

As for the need to provide the Palestinian state with a capital in Jerusalem, Bush described the issue as a "tough one" and said he would leave it to the negotiating teams.

The Palestinians have long known the United States cannot be relied upon to be an impartial referee in their dispute with the Israelis but Bush managed to rub salt in that long-lasting wound during his three-day visit.