George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 260

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Whenever ‘something’ happened in Palestine and Israel, the Western world treated it merely as a Middle Eastern issue, expressing only regret. However, it didn’t take long for that regret to turn into hostility.

The EU, seeking to somehow stabilize the Middle East, and Israel and Palestine, each pursuing their goals through armed struggle, found themselves growing further apart.

The primary reason Europe wasn’t more involved was the United States’ central role. In essence, Israel and Palestine were firmly within the U.S.’s sphere of influence.

Of course, the EU also desired involvement. At the time, only the United States rivaled the EU in its extensive connections and meddlesome nature. Therefore, if the U.S. were to even slightly lessen its attention, the EU would eagerly try to exert its influence.

The EU had already declared, albeit prematurely, the end of civil war in the Middle East. And indeed, the situation had evolved. What was once a civil war had transformed, with the focus of attacks shifting from their own governments to the EU peacekeeping forces.

However, the EU’s efforts weren’t entirely without effect. There were instances where EU policies led to a reduction in terrorist activities or prompted some armed groups to quietly change their tactics.

Notably, these subdued groups were significantly influenced by the ongoing Kurdish independence movement.

They were temporarily ceasing resistance to gather strength, shifting towards peaceful resistance in hopes of benefiting from Kurdish independence. They debated whether independence was a genuine prospect or merely a politician’s empty promise. If the latter, they could unleash their accumulated strength. If the former, they could fully embrace the peaceful path they had been considering.

Yet, the factions that continued to resist were precisely the radical types.

“Arise, Islam! Let us reclaim the empire’s former territories!”

“We will not negotiate with you!”

“Dirty Christians! You’re trying to destroy our homeland with empty promises! Awakened Muslims! Rise up! Uphold the Quran!”

Despite their differing ideals, they shared a common trait: radical extremism, willing to voice their beliefs even under threat of death. Such individuals were often seen as devout believers, attracting many collaborators, making their apprehension difficult even when operating openly.

Even capturing them posed a challenge. Identification wasn’t the problem; these groups didn’t disperse even when their central leadership was eliminated. They would scatter briefly, only to regroup and reemerge.

Can flowing water be cleanly divided by a knife? It might separate for a moment, but it quickly reunites. Like weeds that stubbornly regrow each spring, they would relentlessly rise again and again.

“So, lasting peace between the two is impossible from the start.”

This might change over decades or centuries, but it wasn’t a near-term possibility.

Even if peace were achieved, it wouldn’t be genuine peace, but rather a truce like that dividing the Korean Peninsula into North and South Korea. This situation would persist until one side effectively disappeared.

“So, this negotiation is practically just for show. Otherwise, it’s meaningless, isn’t it?”

The Chief of Staff nonchalantly retorted while organizing documents.

“Surely not. If it were just for show, we wouldn’t bother using Camp David. If I just fly to that land! I’d just…!”

The Chief of Staff, who had been listening to Bush’s words, interrupted him. Though eloquence can be honed, if his tongue were a sword, it would be a masterpiece.

“Since you’re going to get shot and killed in that land anyway, I’ll just kill you myself. Was it this button?”

The Chief of Staff was uniquely capable of dismantling the President of the United States with a few words. Perhaps his wife could too, but that stemmed from their relationship, not verbal skill.

Anyway, the Chief of Staff diligently mimed pressing the red button under the desk. It was a convincing pantomime.

“If I get shot and killed there, I’ll die from a rocket, not a gun. And I think it was a good idea to add fingerprint recognition to the button. At least it won’t be launched by accidentally bumping it with my thigh.”

“It’s not like you’re an evil dictator, setting up a heavy weapons arsenal in your office.”

“An evil dictator… not entirely wrong. Isn’t everything relative?”

“Don’t twist Einstein’s famous sayings and apply them indiscriminately.”

“Don’t worry. In the future, on the internet, which will be the primary source of information, people will believe anything if you just put some random words next to a black and white photo of someone.”

“Even so, people can’t be that foolish. Stop joking around. It’s almost time.”

Is there anything sadder than not being understood even when telling the truth? Perhaps Galileo Galilei, who supposedly said that the Earth still moves, felt the same way? But Galileo Galilei never actually said that, so there was no clearer example than this.

“Alright, I have to go to Camp David.”

Bush wanted to emulate Putin, who was always an hour late, but Marine One, the pinnacle of American aviation technology, escorted him safely to Camp David on schedule, as if it were impossible to delay. The journey took only 20 minutes.

He arrived on time, and thus, the representatives of the three countries finally gathered in one place for what seemed like hopeless negotiations.

The fact that they were using Camp David, typically reserved for heads of state, added significance to the situation.

‘No matter what, I have to figure out what that American president is really thinking in this agreement and drive those Palestinian bastards into a corner. There will be no winner in this agreement.’

‘Dirty Jewish bastards. Is this the hand that chased us out and oppressed us? It’s truly red. Truly red.’

‘Does that Israeli guy have a heart attack a year later? No, it wasn’t a heart attack, it was a stroke? Did he die then, or did he live? Well, with four earthquakes happening, there’s no guarantee that he’ll definitely have a heart attack…….’

Three different people with different ambitions in their hearts were caught on camera.

In order, Mahmoud Abbas, the head of the current Palestinian interim government and future President of Palestine.

Ariel Sharon, the current Prime Minister of Israel. The last one was, of course, George W. Bush, the owner of Camp David.

They exchanged pleasantries with smiling faces and shook hands. As always, politicians in the negotiation room were the picture of peace, at least within the confines of a photograph.

However, no one truly believed in it. They wanted negotiations, but only with advantageous conditions akin to swindling or reinforcement, like the Oslo Accords.

Bush initiated the discussion about the agreement.

“Well, don’t you want to stop this war that is not a war?”

Thanks to the skilled interpreters, the message was instantly conveyed. Mahmoud Abbas and Ariel Sharon reacted differently. One’s face visibly stiffened, while the other maintained his smile.

And of course, the smiling one was Ariel Sharon. Everyone knew who Israel’s patron was.

And the number of Jewish lobbyists in the American government?

Although the number of American Jews unsympathetic to Israel had recently increased, that was still in the future. There were still more Jews who actively supported Israel.

Therefore, he firmly believed he could maintain a favorable position in this agreement. Mahmoud Abbas, struggling to maintain composure, felt that his best course of action was to portray the peace agreement as failing due to ‘greedy Israel,’ rather than trying to lead the negotiations, as he sensed he would be stuck in a futile cycle with unreasonable conditions.

It wouldn’t be difficult, since they were likely to propose ridiculous conditions.

However, he couldn’t reject it outright. The United States’ use of Camp David indicated genuine pressure to stop the fighting. He had a general idea of why this meeting was arranged.

Recently, the EU had begun directly projecting its influence in the Middle East, and after turning Iraq into a battleground, they were attempting to build a completely new country. The United States wanted the relationship between Israel and Palestine to improve as soon as possible.

Or at least maintain a semblance of peace, instead of bombing the Gaza Strip at every opportunity.

The Israeli side also didn’t expect the agreement to succeed. The EU was pressuring Israel, but they couldn’t openly challenge them, given the United States’ tacit support. However, considering the continued sale of weapons at a loss, it didn’t seem like they were abandoning Israel. They held a favorable position, but it wasn’t absolute, hence the smooth smiles masking their frustration.

The negotiations began.

“Of course.”

“That is correct.”

Everyone agreed. Wasn’t the peace agreement the goal? It was time to delve into the details, a negotiation ‘scheduled’ to be a meaningless waste of time.

“I understand. Then the United States of America will not condone any violence in the Israeli-Palestinian region from this time forward.”

These words, conveyed through the interpreter, were enough to make Mahmoud Abbas and Ariel Sharon shudder.

Ariel Sharon, who firmly believed in the American president’s support, thought, ‘This Yankee bastard?’