Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday denied an account by another Palestinian official of a meeting with US President George W. Bush, in which Bush is cited as saying he believed that God told him to go to war in Afghanistan and Iraq.
A statement in Abbas' name released by his office said that an excerpt from an interview with Palestinian Information Minister Nabil Shaath due to be broadcast by the British Broadcasting Corp in which Shaath described a meeting with Bush in June 2003 gave a "completely false" account.
In the interview for the series "Israel and the Arabs." Shaath described the meeting, at which he said Abbas was present.
"President Bush said to all of us: `I'm driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, `George, go and fight those terrorists in Afghanistan.' And I did. And then God would tell me, `George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq.' And I did," Shaath said.
Bush went on: "And now, again, I feel God's words coming to me, `Go get the Palestinians their state and get the Israelis their security, and get peace in the Middle East.' And, by God, I'm gonna do it."
Bush, who became a born-again Christian at 40, is one of the most overtly religious leaders to occupy the White House, a fact which brings him much support in middle America.
Soon after, the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz carried a Palestinian transcript of the meeting, containing a version of Bush's remarks. But the Palestinian delegation was reluctant publicly to acknowledge its authenticity.
"This report is not true," the Abbas statement said on Friday. "I have never heard President Bush talking about religion as a reason behind the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. President Bush has never mentioned that in front of me on any occasion and specifically not during my visit in 2003."
The BBC persuaded Shaath to go on the record for the first time for a three-part series. Israel and the Arabs: Elusive Peace will be broadcast in Britain on Oct. 10, 17 and 24, and in its entirety on PBS in the US.
Religion also surfaced as an issue when Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair were reported to have prayed together in 2002 at his ranch at Crawford, Texas -- the summit at which the invasion of Iraq was agreed in principle. Blair has consistently refused to admit or deny the claim.
Mahmoud Abbas, who was also part of the delegation at Sharm el-Sheikh, told the BBC that Bush said: "I have a moral and religious obligation. I must get you a Palestinian state. And I will."
Shaath's comments came as Bush delivered a speech on Thursday aimed at bolstering US support for the Iraq war.
"We're facing a radical ideology with unalterable objectives: to enslave whole nations and intimidate the world," he said.
He conceded that insurgents had gained ground in Iraq but the US would not leave until security had been established.
"Some observers also claim that America would be better off by cutting our losses and leaving Iraq now. This is a dangerous illusion, refuted with a simple question: Would the United States and other free nations be more safe, or less safe, with Zarqawi and Bin Laden in control of Iraq, its people, and its resources?" Bush asked.
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