Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's move to hold indirect talks with Syria may also be "an act of desperation" that was taken against the advice of the Bush administration, TIME magazine reported. It said that the Knesset misunderstood what American President George W. Bush told them in a speech two weeks ago, when he criticized those who appease terrorists and promote talking with enemies.

"Israel envoys have been carrying out discreet talks with the very 'radicals and terrorists' that Bush was warning against in his speech: Syria, the Lebanese militia Hizbullah and the Palestinian militant group Hamas," TIME stated. "It is partly a measure of how far the Bush administration's stature has fallen that even staunch allies like the Israelis are now ignoring White House commandments. But it may also be an act of desperation by the embattled Israeli leader, who sees no choice but to rebuff the U.S. if he wants to win back popular Israeli support."