VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- Conspicuously absent from last Thursday's first presidential debate was any mention of the 'other' burning Middle East dossier -- the Israeli-Palestinian conflict -- the crux of Arab and Muslim discontent.
Focusing on foreign policy, it is understandable that Iraq would dominate the debate, as it did. Given the rising violence, the mounting death toll and the lack of a comprehensive exit strategy, it was only natural that the country would occupy center stage. Just hours before the debate nearly 50 people were killed by car bombs -- at least 35 of them children -- while kidnappers abducted 10 more hostages.
As Democratic contender Sen. John Kerry pointed out to President George W. Bush, the situation in Iraq is "getting worse by the day." This was further confirmed by a senior U.S. military officer who spoke to United Press International on condition of anonymity.
Another crisis also worsening by the day is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yet throughout the debate there was no mention by either Bush or Kerry of that conflict, which many analysts agree is the principal generator of anti-Western feeling in the region. There was nary a mention of the all-but-abandoned "road map" -- the quadripartite plan drawn up by the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and Russia -- designed to settle the 50-year-old conflict and help establish a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
Instead both candidates preferred to stay clear of the thorny dispute which lies at the heart of much of the Levant's chagrin, and which has led to five wars, hundreds of terrorist attacks, two uprisings -- the second now in its fourth year -- and continues to claim lives on a daily basis.
Even Palestinian officials will admit that Osama bin Laden is only paying lip service to the Palestinian cause, using the unsettled dispute to play on Arab and Muslim sensitivities and to recruit followers who remain influenced by what they see as continued injustice to the Palestinians.
Yet, of the 90 minutes allotted to covering world policy, 70 of them were devoted to Iraq, with both candidates steering clear of the Palestinian-Israeli dispute -- the leitmotif behind much of the Middle East's turbulence. Ironically, as the candidates debated, Israel launched its largest operation in two years against Palestinian insurgents in Gaza.
By leaving the Middle East out of Thursday's debate, Bush and Kerry have confirmed the fears of many Middle Easterners who see very little difference -- if any -- between the Republican and the Democratic agenda, at least where their region is concerned.
Having just returned from the Middle East it was striking to see how much hatred is directed at the United States, more so now than ever before. In Saudi Arabia, for example, many say they are discontented with President Bush's foreign policy, adding that they harbor no ill feelings against Americans in general. That, however, is far from being the case in Iraq, where militants make a point of targeting Americans, both military and civilians.
The beheadings of American hostages in Iraq are an indication of how deep anti-American sentiment in the region runs. A recent poll in Egypt -- a major recipient of U.S. financial aid -- showed bin Laden to be more popular than Bush.
What Arabs from the Magreb to the tip of the Arabian Peninsula find particularly irritating about U.S. foreign policy is its lack of continuity, its attention deficit disorder, and what they perceive to be ardent pro-Israeli bias.
"Both Bush and Kerry are beholden to pro-Israeli votes and money in the United States," said George E. Irani, an Arab American scholar who teaches conflict resolution at Royal Roads University in Victoria, Canada.
"There is not too much difference between the two candidates regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In two words, pandering and electoral politics have overshadowed a rational discussion of the conflict," said Irani.
Indeed, there was only one mention -- if it can be called that -- by each candidate of the Arab-Israeli dispute, and both times it was in reference to Israel's security.
President Bush's only mention was when he said, "A free Iraq will help secure Israel." And Sen. Kerry's sole venture into the Israel-Palestine arena, like Bush, was in relation to Iraq when he said, "I'm going to get it right for those soldiers because it's important to Israel, it's important to America, it's important to the world, it's important to the fight on terror."
There was absolutely no mention of the Palestinians, the four-year-old intifada that has claimed thousands of lives, the 36-year occupation, the issue of settlements or even a vague reference to the fact that Thursday -- the same day as the debate -- was also one of the most violent in Gaza with scores of people dying.
During the hour-and-a-half deliberation neither of the candidates mentioned the word "Palestine" or "Palestinians" even once.
To his credit Kerry did say he would be "reaching out to the Muslim world," something he accused his opponent of failing to do. Addressing the issue of Islamist fundamentalism, Kerry said he would begin to "isolate the radical Muslims" and not "have them isolate the United States of America."
There is no doubt that millions throughout the Middle East watched Thursday's debate with keen interest, wanting to learn which of the two candidates would be better suited to revive the stalled peace talks and maybe bring about new hope for peace. And there is also no doubt that their disappointment was great.
"Neither this or that (candidate) will be in the benefit of the Arab world," said Salama Salama, an Egyptian columnist.
Saeb Erakat, the Palestinian chief negotiator, said that by ignoring the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Bush and Kerry view the conflict through the eyes of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a position he said would bring greater chaos to the region.
The U.S. invasion of Iraq has created a wider rift between the United States and the Arab-Islamic world, which has indeed isolated the United States. Regardless of who wins in November, he will have a hard time mending that rift.
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