Bush recognizes Palestine

WASHINGTON -- "Palestine'' entered the U.S. government lexicon with President George W. Bush's speech to the United Nations. \nSecretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday that it reflected the administration's vision of two states, Israel and Palestine, side by side. \nUntil now, U.S. officials have referred to the possibility of a "Palestinian state,'' but have never called it "Palestine.'' \nPowell said Bush's use of "Palestine'' in his speech Saturday was deliberate. \n "If one is moving forward with a vision of two states side by side,'' Powell said on NBC's "Meet the Press,'' "it's appropriate ... to call those two states what they will be, Israel and Palestine.'' \nBush told the U.N. General Assembly that the United States is "working toward the day when two states -- Israel and Palestine -- live peacefully together within secure and recognized borders as called for by the Security Council resolutions.'' \n"No Republican president has ever made (such) a statement,'' Powell said. \nNo Democrat, either. \nFormer President Bill Clinton carefully parsed his historic speech in 1998 to Palestinian legislators: "For the first time in the history of the Palestinian movement, the Palestinian people and their elected representatives now have a chance to determine their own destiny on their own land.'' \nUntil now, the State Department has used "Palestine'' only to describe the British-controlled territory that existed before Israel's establishment in 1948. Israel assumed some of the territory; the other parts were controlled by Jordan and Egypt until they were captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war. \nAlthough Israel has accepted the existence of a Palestinian state as an outcome of peace talks, calling it "Palestine'' has been a sensitive issue. It has raised concerns that it would imply a Palestinian presumption to all the pre-1948 territory, including Israel. \n"The only objection we would have to the use of the term 'Palestine' would be where it is meant as an alternative to Israel, in order to undermine the legitimacy of the Jewish state,'' said Raanan Gissin, an adviser to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. \nPalestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who met with Powell Sunday in New York, said Bush's use of "Palestine'' was "very important,'' and significant that it came before the world body. "We thank him from the bottom of our heart.'' \nAn aide said the Palestinians still awaited a comprehensive American plan for the peace process, as well as a first Bush-Arafat meeting. \nBush wants to bolster Arab and Muslim support for the U.S.-led war against suspected terrorists and their protectors in Afghanistan. His statement was warmly welcomed by Arab delegates for referring to "recognized'' borders, and for suggesting that Security Council resolutions implied statehood. \nSharon has suggested an interim recognition of Palestinian statehood without recognized borders. Israel understands U.N. resolutions as calling for an exchange of territory for peace, but not necessarily leading to statehood. \n"That was music, that was outstanding,'' Egypt's U.N. Ambassador Ahmed Aboul Gheit said after the speech. \nBefore the Sept. 11 attacks, the administration's approach to the yearlong Israeli-Palestinian violence was notable for its lack of involvement. Bush said he thought the Clinton administration had been too involved in the region, disappointing some Arabs who had hoped Bush would balance what they perceived as Clinton's pro-Israel tilt. \nThe shift since Sept. 11 has unnerved Israelis, and Sharon last month wondered whether the United States was sacrificing Israel's security interests to building a coalition against terror. \nAdministration officials stressed they were still keeping a tough line with Arafat.