If you can’t say something nice …

We can’t. Bravo to President Bush for getting to the heart of the matter for the Palestinian people:

There will be an opening for peace when leadership of the Palestinian people steps forward and says, help us build a democratic and free society. And when that happens- and I believe it’s going to happen, because I believe all people desire to live in freedom-the United States of America will be more than willing to help build the institutions necessary for a free society to emerge, so that the Palestinians can have their own state.

We can’t. Bravo to President Bush for getting to the heart of the matter for the Palestinian people:

There will be an opening for peace when leadership of the Palestinian people steps forward and says, help us build a democratic and free society. And when that happens- and I believe it’s going to happen, because I believe all people desire to live in freedom-the United States of America will be more than willing to help build the institutions necessary for a free society to emerge, so that the Palestinians can have their own state. The vision is two states, a Palestinian state and Israel, living side by side in peace. And I think we’ve got a chance to do that. And I look forward to being involved in that process.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair arrives in Washington today and we sincerely hope he comes to understand what the President already does – it doesn’t matter which terrorist or terrorist-associated crony of Arafat rises to the temporary top of the leadership, the Road Map for peace in the Middle East doesn’t run through Ramallah. Only after the Palestinians reform themselves or, as Mr. Bush so nicely put it, after they ask for help in building “a democratic and free society,” would it even be possible for them to consider accepting the State of Israel as a neighbor and a partner.

This is NOT a way of shutting down the process. The opposite – it opens an opportunity for the Quartet to make itself relevant.

The UN is one quarter of the Quartet. As distasteful as we find UN decision making today, we hark back to one of its finer moments – November 22, 1967 – to remind the Arab states that they have obligations under UN Res. 242. President Bush and Prime Minister Blair could further the aspirations of the Palestinian and Israeli people – and all those who want a “peace process” worthy of the name – by asking the UN to redeem itself on that point and the Arab states to legitimize the State of Israel now.

In any process, parties should be asked to do what they reasonably can be expected to do. The Palestinians can be expected to cease the incitement to violence against Jews that is produced under their sanction, and turn their attention to “building institutions necessary for a free society to emerge.” The Arab states can do much more and they should.