No longer an "honest broker" in the Middle East: Palestinians are burning effigies of George W. Bush tonight in the wake of his expressed support for Ariel Sharon's plan to withdraw Jewish settlements from Gaza while making permanent settlements on West Bank land claimed by Palestinians. Why? For one, the pullout of Gaza means little: no one ever believed these illegal settlements would end up in Israeli hands--so it's no true concession--and, as the Guardian reports, "Israel will retain large population centers on the West Bank" and "Palestinian refugees seeking resettlement should live in the state he hopes will be established next year rather than in Israel"--i.e. they won't be allowed to return to land they've been driven from.

Diplomatically, as Mark Shields put it on tonight's News Hour, it looks worse. "The president broke tradition, broke pattern of six previous presidents, four Republicans and two Democrats, and I think it's fair to say that we took sides for really the first time so publicly so dramatically between the Palestinians and Israelis. We ratified and validated the land grab on the West Bank... [T]he United States may be a broker in the Middle East between the Palestinian and Israelis but it can no longer be an honest broker. Because we have come down and we have come down on the side of the most extreme position." Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak fears the decision--made without consulting Palestinian leaders--will mean an "escalation of tension, much more violence." John Kerry--long past channeling the iconoclastic verve of Howard Dean--quickly agreed with Bush's decision: "I think that could be a positive step. What's important, obviously, is the security of the state of Israel."

Earlier: If Kerry Wins, Little Will Change in US Middle East Policy and Kerry Indicates He Would Continue Bush's Pro-Sharon Policy.