WASHINGTON, July 16 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush promised more U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority and called for a fall Middle East summit to jumpstart the peace process.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would convene the international talks to restart the stalled regional peace initiative, Bush announced Monday at the White House.
The Bush administration has ended financial restrictions on the Palestinian Authority, which will receive more than $190 million from the United States this year in addition to $80 million to help Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reform security services.
"The international community must rise to the moment and provide decisive support to responsible Palestinian leaders working for peace," Bush said.
Palestinians face a choice of "chaos and suffering" under the radical Hamas faction that took over Gaza last month, said Bush, or responsible leadership under Abbas. The president accused Hamas extremists of betraying the Palestinian people "with a lawless and violent takeover."
"More than five years ago, I became the first American president to call for the creation of a Palestinian state," Bush said. "And I laid our a new vision for the future -- two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security."
