BBC News : World should thank Sharon - Bush

The US president has defended Israel's plan to leave Gaza and parts of the West Bank, which he backed last week.

"The whole world should have said, 'Thank you, Ariel; now we have a chance to begin the construction of a peaceful Palestinian state'," [president Bush] said.
Mr Bush sparked anger in the Arab world by saying Israel could keep some land it seized in the 1967 war.
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The Bush-Sharon declaration inflamed the Arab world as it signalled the apparent abandonment by the White House of some long-held principles in the peace process - in particular that land cannot be acquired by war.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak warned that the Arabs hate the US more than ever following its invasion of Iraq and Israel's assassination of two leaders of the militant Palestinian group Hamas.
This is to put in relation with another important news.

Around 50 retired US diplomats have written to President Bush to complain about America's Middle East policy...

The letter is similar to one written by 52 two former British diplomats to the UK Prime Minister Tony Blair last week.
The former US diplomats complained that President Bush's policy is losing the US credibility, prestige and friends.

They criticised what they say is Washington's unabashed support for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
The American diplomats say they were deeply concerned by Mr Bush's endorsement last month of Mr Sharon's plan to withdraw unilaterally from Gaza.

One former diplomat, who is still considering whether or not to sign the letter, said that as a result of the policy, "We're not the good guys any more."
If only presidents didn't have immunity to be prosecuted...