Bush criticizes Arab nations for repression

The president's speech at the World Economic Forum in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheik crystallized an approach that in Arab eyes stubbornly favors Israel over their own concerns and interests. Bush's language was in many ways supportive, but his characterization of the region was a pointed challenge to U.S. allies, such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

"Too often in the Middle East, politics has consisted of one leader in power and the opposition in jail," Bush said in an address to about 1,500 global policymakers and business leaders. "America is deeply concerned about the plight of political prisoners in this region, as well as democratic activists who are intimidated or repressed, newspapers and civil society organizations that are shut down and dissidents whose voices are stifled."

He added, "I call on all nations in this region to release their prisoners of conscience, open up their political debate and trust their people to chart their future."

The mood was markedly different from that on Wednesday, when Bush began his tour of the region by celebrating Israel's 60th anniversary and receiving a standing ovation in the parliament, or Knesset, for uttering "Happy Independence Day" in Hebrew.

The Arab press condemned what it regarded as the president's warm embrace of Israel and lack of understanding of the Palestinian cause. The Bush administration has been blamed for such favoritism for years, and Sunday's comments appeared to underscore the president's misgivings about the Arab world while lauding its economic potential.

"The president was himself, finally. Maybe because this is the end of his political career," said Ghassan Khatib, a former Palestinian Cabinet minister and now a lecturer at Birzeit University. "This is actually him. This is George Bush the human being, not the politician. . . . I always thought he was a Christian Zionist and a fundamentalist ideologue."

On Air Force One after the economic forum, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Bush's visit was "very fruitful. . . . It's not the last time that the president is going to be with these leaders. It's not the last time that he's going to have an opportunity to press this agenda forward.