U.S. must continue to support Israel

President Bush certainly picked an odd time to reformulate in a radical way U.S. policy toward Israel: On his first official visit to Israel, he declared in strong terms that the Israelis ought to end their “occupation” of territory seized during 1967 Six-Day War. What’s more, he suggested that Palestinians should be paid compensation for property lost during the establishment of Israel.

Thank goodness Bush is a lame duck, or else he might have time to foist such a reckless non-solution upon Israel.

Let’s remember who attacked whom in 1967. Arab nations gathered forces in an attempt to wipe Israel from the face of the Earth. But they underestimated the capabilities of the Israeli armed forces, and six days after they attacked the Arab forces were vanquished and Israel had captured buffer territory necessary to preserve its security.

Forty years later, Israel still needs those buffers. And to suggest revisiting events of decades ago and conjure up reparations of some sort in the name of a “peace process” is the height of foolishness.

The problem of peace with Israel is not about reparations or foolish notions about returning back the consequences of past wars. It is quite simply about Israel’s neighbors recognizing that it has a right to exist.

If and when Middle Eastern powers unequivocally recognize that right in all its implications — among them lifting restrictions on trade and ending their funding and material support of terrorist organizations, then maybe it would be appropriate to reexamine borders.

Until then, however, neither Bush nor any future president will serve the cause of peace by implying that Israel is wrong to err on the side of caution regarding its slender territory. Israel never has waged a war of aggression against its neighbors, but they have waged open and covert war against Israel since its founding.