"Poppy" and "Bar" are gone, but the passing of George H. W. and Barbara Bush won't mean an end to children's laughter, splashing in the pool, barking dogs or clinking horseshoes at the family's property on the Maine coast.
The former first couple's children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren will continue to enjoy stunning views, fishing, golfing and swimming each summer at their oceanfront home, just as previous generations have.
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"Poppy" and "Bar" are gone, but the passing of George H. W. and Barbara Bush won't mean an end to children's laughter, splashing in the pool, barking dogs or clinking horseshoes at the family's property on the Maine coast.
The Walker's Point property became known as the "Summer White House" when Bush was president, elevating the sleepy coastal community's status and making it a household name thanks to high-profile visits by world leaders, political protests and swarming journalists.
The nation's 41st president died last month at 94 in Houston and was laid to rest Thursday in College Station, Texas. His wife died about eight months ago at 92.
Ken Raynor, another longtime family friend who golfed with the president and his kids, said there will be a void at Walker's Point. But he said Bush taught his family to continue to "live life to the fullest."
There might be local residents, a celebrity or a world leader hanging out. And there was always family around. She recalled visiting when the Bush granddaughters, Jenna and Barbara, were scooting around on tricycles.
For local residents, one of the biggest changes may be a shift in the level of security, said Town Manager Laurie Smith.
"It will always stay in the family," said Evelyn Paine, a longtime family friend who has been a guest at the nearly 9-acre (3.5-hectare) oceanfront property. "They want everyone in the family to enjoy it as much as they have."
FILE - In this May 11, 2008 file photo, former President George H.W. Bush arrives on the South Lawn of White House in Washington. Bush died at the age of 94 on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. (AP PhotoLawrence Jackson, File)
The Walker's Point property became known as the "Summer White House" when Bush was president, elevating the sleepy coastal community's status and making it a household name thanks to high-profile visits by world leaders, political protests and swarming journalists.
The three-story, stone-and-shingle residence overlooking the Atlantic Ocean frequently served as a backdrop for reports on the nightly news.
In addition to that main house, there are eight other buildings, including homes for all five of Bush's children: former President George W. Bush, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Dorothy "Doro" Bush Koch, Neil Bush, and Marvin Bush. There's also a swimming pool, a tennis court and an art studio for George W. Bush. And, of course, there's a horseshoe pit for George H.W. Bush.
Flowers and mementoes lay near a plaque honoring former President George H. W. Bush at a makeshift memorial across from Walker's Point, the Bush's summer home, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Kennebunkport, Maine. Bush died at the age of 94 on Friday, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. (AP PhotoRobert F. Bukaty)
The nation's 41st president died last month at 94 in Houston and was laid to rest Thursday in College Station, Texas. His wife died about eight months ago at 92.
Bush spent part of every summer at Walker's Point since childhood with the exception of during World War II when he was a naval aviator. His wish was for the family's future generations to enjoy the property the same way he did, said Freddy Ford, chief of staff to his son, former President George W. Bush.
"Forty-one's wishes were for the family to enjoy his beloved Walker's Point for generations, and that's just what they'll do," Ford said in a statement.
Flowers and a note saying former President George H. W. Bush was "one of the good guys," are seen at a makeshift memorial across from Walker's Point, the Bush's summer home, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Kennebunkport, Maine. Bush died at the age of 94 on Friday, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. (AP PhotoRobert F. Bukaty)
Ken Raynor, another longtime family friend who golfed with the president and his kids, said there will be a void at Walker's Point. But he said Bush taught his family to continue to "live life to the fullest."
"It will be very active, and very alive, as 41 would like it," he said.
Paine, whose husband gave painting lessons to George W. Bush, said there was no telling who you'd encounter when paying a visit to the home.
The American flag flies at half-mast at Walker's Point, the summer home of former President George H. W. Bush, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Kennebunkport, Maine. Bush died at the age of 94 on Friday, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. (AP PhotoRobert F. Bukaty)
There might be local residents, a celebrity or a world leader hanging out. And there was always family around. She recalled visiting when the Bush granddaughters, Jenna and Barbara, were scooting around on tricycles.
"There's no way that the family members are going to let it go," she said.
Walker's Point is made up of three different properties, all of them owned by the same limited family partnership. The assessed value is $13.5 million, town officials say.
A man pays his respects to former President George H. W. Bush at a makeshift memorial across from Walker's Point, the Bush's summer home, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Kennebunkport, Maine. Bush died at the age of 94 on Friday, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. (AP PhotoRobert F. Bukaty)
For local residents, one of the biggest changes may be a shift in the level of security, said Town Manager Laurie Smith.
Secret Service agents stayed on site during the summer when the Bushes were in Maine, maintained a checkpoint on the property and lived in the community.
A wreath with a note to former President George H. W. Bush lay at a makeshift memorial across from Walker's Point, the Bush's summer home, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Kennebunkport, Maine. Bush died at the age of 94 on Friday, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. (AP PhotoRobert F. Bukaty)
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States vetoed a widely backed U.N. resolution Thursday that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for Palestine, a goal the Palestinians have long sought and Israel has worked to prevent.
The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 12 in favor, the United States opposed and two abstentions, from the United Kingdom and Switzerland. U.S. allies France, Japan and South Korea supported the resolution.
The strong support the Palestinians received reflects not only the growing number of countries recognizing their statehood but almost certainly the global support for Palestinians facing a humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Gaza, now in its seventh month.
The resolution would have recommended that the 193-member U.N. General Assembly, where there are no vetoes, approve Palestine becoming the 194th member of the United Nations. Some 140 countries have already recognized Palestine, so its admission would have been approved, likely by a much higher number of countries.
U.S. deputy ambassador Robert Wood told the Security Council that the veto “does not reflect opposition to Palestinian statehood but instead is an acknowledgment that it will only come from direct negotiations between the parties."
The United States has “been very clear consistently that premature actions in New York — even with the best intentions — will not achieve statehood for the Palestinian people,” deputy State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said.
His voice breaking at times, Palestinian U.N. Ambassador Riyad Mansour told the council after the vote: “The fact that this resolution did not pass will not break our will and it will not defeat our determination.”
“We will not stop in our effort,” he said. “The state of Palestine is inevitable. It is real. Perhaps they see it as far away, but we see it as near.”
This is the second Palestinian attempt for full membership and comes as the war in Gaza has put the more than 75-year-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict at center stage.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas first delivered the Palestinian Authority’s application for U.N. membership in 2011. It failed because the Palestinians didn’t get the required minimum support of nine of the Security Council’s 15 members.
They went to the General Assembly and succeeded by more than a two-thirds majority in having their status raised from a U.N. observer to a non-member observer state in 2012. That opened the door for the Palestinian territories to join U.N. and other international organizations, including the International Criminal Court.
Algerian U.N. Ambassador Amar Bendjama, the Arab representative on the council who introduced the resolution, called Palestine’s admission “a critical step toward rectifying a longstanding injustice" and said that “peace will come from Palestine’s inclusion, not from its exclusion.”
In explaining the U.S. veto, Wood said there are “unresolved questions” on whether Palestine meets the criteria to be considered a state. He pointed to Hamas still exerting power and influence in the Gaza Strip, which is a key part of the state envisioned by the Palestinians.
Wood stressed that the U.S. commitment to a two-state solution, where Israel and Palestine live side-by-side in peace, is the only path for security for both sides and for Israel to establish relations with all its Arab neighbors, including Saudi Arabia.
“The United States is committed to intensifying its engagement with the Palestinians and the rest of the region, not only to address the current crisis in Gaza, but to advance a political settlement that will create a path to Palestinian statehood and membership in the United Nations,” he said.
Mansour, the Palestinian U.N. ambassador, reiterated the commitment to a two-state solution but asserted that Israel believes Palestine "is a permanent strategic threat."
"Israel will do its best to block the sovereignty of a Palestinian state and to make sure that the Palestinian people are exiled away from their homeland or remain under its occupation forever,” he said.
He demanded of the council and diplomats crowded in the chamber: “What will the international community do? What will you do?”
Israeli-Palestinian negotiations have been stalled for years, and Israel’s right-wing government is dominated by hard-liners who oppose Palestinian statehood.
Israeli U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan called the resolution “disconnected to the reality on the ground” and warned that it “will cause only destruction for years to come and harm any chance for future dialogue.”
Six months after the Oct. 7 attack by the Hamas militant group, which controlled Gaza, and the killing of 1,200 people in “the most brutal massacre of Jews since the Holocaust,” he accused the Security Council of seeking “to reward the perpetrators of these atrocities with statehood.”
Israel’s military offensive in response has killed over 32,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, and destroyed much of the territory, which speaker after speaker denounced Thursday.
After the vote, Erdan thanked the United States and particularly President Joe Biden “for standing up for truth and morality in the face of hypocrisy and politics.”
He called the Palestinian Authority — which controls the West Bank and the U.S. wants to see take over Gaza where Hamas still has sway — “a terror supporting entity.”
The Israeli U.N. ambassador referred to the requirements for U.N. membership – accepting the obligations in the U.N. Charter and being a “peace-loving” state.
“How can you say seriously that the Palestinians are peace loving? How?” Erdan asked. “The Palestinians are paying terrorists, paying them to slaughter us. None of their leaders condemns terrorism, nor the Oct. 7 massacre. They call Hamas their brothers.”
Despite the Palestinian failure to meet the criteria for U.N. membership, Erdan said most council members supported it.
“It’s very sad because your vote will only embolden Palestinian rejectionism every more and make peace almost impossible,” he said.
Algeria's Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations Amar Bendjama speaks during a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, April 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan speaks during a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, April 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour holds tears while speaking during a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, April 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Representatives of member countries take votes during a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, April 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour, left, and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speak before a Security Council meeting at the United Nations headquarters, Thursday, April 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour speaks during a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, April 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Representatives of member countries take votes during a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, April 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan speaks during a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, April 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
Palestinian Ambassador to the United Nations Riyad Mansour speaks during a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, April 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood votes against resolution during a Security Council meeting at United Nations headquarters, Thursday, April 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
