President Bush and Prime Minister Olmert at the White House 11-13-06

See APN's pre-meeting Press Release "The Bush-Olmert Meeting: More Than a Photo-Op?"

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - November 13, 2006
CONTACT: Ori Nir - (202) 728-1893

Washington, D.C.-Americans for Peace Now (APN) today expressed disappointment that the meeting between President George Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert did not yield any public statement indicating movement toward improving Israeli-Palestinian relations or toward renewed Middle East peace negotiations.

While Prime Minister Olmert reiterated his commitment to strengthen Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and his hope to resume talks with him, Olmert said nothing about how he proposed to strengthen Abbas, about the substance of such possible future talks or about the timeline for opening them. Neither Olmert nor Bush indicated that they made a real effort - let alone reached any agreement - to help stabilize the situation in Gaza; to improve the security or economic situation there; to advance talks with a possible new Palestinian government that is not headed by Hamas or to resume diplomatic activity on the Syrian track.

APN, a Jewish, Zionist organization dedicated to enhancing Israel's security through peace and to supporting the Israeli Peace Now movement, has been calling on both leaders to do their utmost to prevent the security chaos in Gaza from deteriorating into all-out war. Israel's Peace Now movement and APN have also been urging the leaders to explore possibilities for progress on the Palestinian and Syrian tracks and to consider a regional conference that would re-launch Arab-Israeli negotiations. Bush and Olmert did not report any progress on any of these issues.

APN is encouraged at the two leaders' statements that they see eye-to-eye on the necessity for a strong international effort to block Iran's way to a nuclear weapon. The organization is convinced, however, that reaching such international resolve requires progress toward Arab-Israeli peace.

"We find it troubling that the two leaders made no reference to such diplomatic efforts. The peoples of the Middle East and their friends in America are desperately seeking actions toward peace. Leaders in the region are seeking signals of progress from the White House that could embolden them in confronting Iran and in help stabilize Iraq," said Debra DeLee, President and CEO of Americans for Peace Now. "While President Bush and Prime Minister Olmert failed to even hint at any such progress, we can only hope that the two leaders did discuss these issues behind closed doors."

"At the time of regional instability and when Arab parties are calling for peace talks, we cannot but urge the President and the Prime Minister to redouble their efforts to explore possibilities for progress," DeLee said.