By Xinhua,
Amman : Jordan’s opposition parties slammed U.S. President George W. Bush’s speech at the Israeli Knesset on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Jewish state’s establishment, saying it showed a total bias towards Israel, local daily Jordan Times reported on Thursday.
The National Coalition of Opposition Parties, which represents seven opposition parties in Jordan, expressed doubt over Bush’s ability to broker peace between the Arabs and Israel, saying he lacked integrity.
“The U.S. president cannot act as a mediator or a partner in peacemaking in the region,” said Mohammad Qaq, the coalition’s spokesman.
In the speech at Israeli Knesset last Thursday, Bush made no acknowledgment of the hardship Palestinians suffered when the creation of the Jewish state in 1948 displaced hundreds of thousands of them.
He described the “bonds of the Book” — belief in the Bible shared by Christians and Jews, have bolstered an “unbreakable” alliance between Israel and the United States.
The president’s words dismayed Palestinians and other Arab nations involved in the peace process who look to the United States as a mediator in negotiations with Israel.
Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas, which also rejected such talks, said Bush sounded “like a priest or a rabbi” and delivered a “slap in the face” to Palestinians who have pinned hopes on him.