[Al-Ahram, Egypt]

Al-Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Welcome President Bush:

Be a Man of Peace, Not War!!

"We in the Saudi Kingdom were the first Arabs to establish relations with the United States, thus exposing ourselves to threats from the Soviet Union and its allies … we recognize the value of this relationship … But we refuse to be a tool to spark war and tension with Iran or any other country."

By Youssef El-Kwelit

Translated By Ahmed Naoual

January 12, 2008

Saudi Arabia - Al-Riyadh - Original Article (Arabic)

Bush was greeted in Israel with great joy and jubilation because people there knew in advance that he would willingly and forcefully utter the name of the pure Jewish state. On the Palestinian side, his arrival was met with demonstrations in Gaza and shock in the West Bank. Thanks to the visit, Olmert became more popular while optimism in Abbas shriveled.

In the Gulf, tension between Iranian gunboats and American battleships are on the cusp of degenerating into armed clashes WATCH . And whether it's Bush's goal on his trip to make an opening in the closed wall of peace, the goal is not made easier when Israel's conditions to achieve it depend on ending alleged terrorism in Gaza where [Hezbullah] rockets have been sent to Israel as a way of greeting the U.S. President. This position would have us believe that Israel’s Apaches [attack helicopters]  and tanks, which have been striking and invading, have been sent to hand out sweets to Palestinian children, offer Christmas and Muslim New Year gifts and lift the siege on medicines, food and electricity and heating fuel.

In the other Arab countries he is touring, President Bush is visiting people awaiting the results of his peace initiatives. Even if we assume that Bush has a different mission in mind on his visit to the Gulf - namely blockading Iran and dealing with its intentions to obtain nuclear weapons by stimulating the Gulf countries to stand in absolute solidarity with his country - the alleged danger from Iran doesn't minimize the real and enduring danger from Israel - a country already on the world list of the 10 nuclear-armed countries.

[Editor's Note: The author is referring to the 2007 National Intelligence Estimate on Iran's nuclear program, which concluded that Iran suspended its nuclear weapons program in 2003 ].

If the President wants Arabs to stand in solidarity with his positions, he should prioritize and begin with the issue of peace before tackling a danger that was recently revealed by U.S. intelligence to be far from real, at least for the near future.

Bush has sought to deny North Korea its nuclear weapons and he wants to put a halt to Iran’s project, but with all his eloquent speeches, he has never talked to us about the Israeli threat. It may be a land of peace, endowed with a sense of humanity, a democratic system of government and technological sophistication, but all things considered and according to the testimony of anyone familiar with basic notions of human rights, Israel remains a state based on colonization, just as North America emerged based on the annihilation of other peoples. It is a state based on war and extermination.

We in the Saudi Kingdom were the first Arabs to establish relations with the United States, thus exposing ourselves to threats from the Soviet Union and its allies in the region. And we continue to recognize the value of this relationship, which has cost the U.S. nothing in terms of its financial and military support for Israel. But we refuse to be a tool to spark war and tension with Iran or any other country.

If we agree that the shortest way to a settlement is diplomacy and dialogue, let us not stray from substance of the outstanding issues, namely those of Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon etc. The U.S. President is most welcome as a dear friend and a man of peace, not war.

Click Here for Arabic Version