The Middle East is a cauldron of mistrust, violence and hate. President Bush has joined the fray and, despite the predictable clashes mid-week as zealots sabotaged meaningful progress, limited new hope has followed.

Two thousand years of history conspire against peace in the Middle East. The facts have been aligned in a way that makes resolution nearly impossible. U.S. president after president has been vexed.

In steps President Bush. A cowboy, a loose cannon, an amateur in international affairs, his critics cry. Then measured progress; the two sides sit down at least to talk. Days later violence surfaced anew.

There’s still a long way to go before Palestinians and Israelis put down their swords. After years of violence, there has been movement. How’d the president do it?

He changed the facts on the ground. He rearranged the players in the game and created a new set of rules.

First, he benched Yasser Arafat, sent him to the sidelines. President Bush, recognizing Arafat’s nod-and-wink approach to terrorist organizations that suit his purposes, told him to take a hike. If the Palestinians want to work with the United States, find a new leader. They did.

Mahmoud Abbas became prime minister and took Arafat’s place at the negotiating table. Even though Arafat maintains considerable influence, his replacement was a major step forward.

Regardless of opinion on the war in Iraq, the swift defeat of Saddam Hussein reduced the security threat faced by Israel. If Arafat was benched, Hussein was kicked out of the game.

With more than 150,000 U.S. soldiers in Iraq, the militaristic and aggressive government has been tamed and can no longer be counted among the regimes that seek – through rhetoric, funding and even direct action – to wipe Israel from the map.

Finally, the president’s willingness to use the blunt instrument of force against Iraq has shown Iran, Syria and other state sponsors of terrorism that the violence they have helped to spread may just come back to them. In soccer talk, the referee has given them a stern warning, a yellow card. If they continue, the message goes, they might get sent off like Saddam.

None of this guarantees peace. There are still fundamental issues regarding the status of Jerusalem, Palestinians’ right of return, Jewish settlements and Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. But Israeli Prime Minister Arial Sharon and Abbas have met. Sharon said that some settlements would be dismantled and that a Palestinian state must have territorial congruity, departures from his hard line. Whether Abbas is able to rein in terrorists like Hamas and Islamic Jihad remains to be seen.

But one thing’s for sure. For the first time in more than two years, there’s hope. Israelis and Palestinians deserve a chance to live securely and in peace. President Bush has created a set of circumstances that at least begins to make that possible.

We’re glad he didn’t accept the facts on the ground.
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