While the strikes in Afghanistan have pushed the Palestinian struggle down to the second-lead position in media coverage, it remains the central issue for the region. Palestine continues to yield, every day, its dead and injured. Until that stops, all agree, there can be no peace in this region and also, it now looks, in many others. And the yielding-up of the dead will end only when the Palestinians have a sovereign home of their own, where they can be masters and live with honor without worrying about the moods and tantrums of Sharons and Netanyahus.
So, it is welcome news that President George W. Bush has supported a future independent state and did not mince words when rebuking Ariel Sharon for objecting to the idea. His loud espousal of a Palestinian state has clearly moved the issue well beyond the Tenet plan and the Mitchell Commission to the very heart of Oslo and in the Palestinian hope that Israel will withdraw, that their occupied territories will be restituted and that an independent Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as its capital, will come into being. But the proof of Bush’s intention would be, as Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd pointed out Tuesday, practical steps to translate the “vision” to action - in spite of the Israeli lobby. And that, we know from experience, is a big “in spite of”.
However, the new American attitude is not removed from the requirements of the confrontation with terrorism. It reflects a recognition by the US that there is a link between areas of tension and terrorism. The mood of despair and hopelessness which continues to prevail in the territories as a result of Israeli policies provides those who would take advantage of the situation an opportunity to find people willing to cooperate with them.
Sharon has since apologized for his remarks, beating a hasty retreat in spectacularly embarrassing fashion. But that is not enough. He should return to the basics. The cease-fire has collapsed before it was built, with the Israeli Army and Sharon, who has now given his troops carte blanche to deal with Palestinian fighters any way they see fit, as the main saboteurs. Sharon should give up his military agenda and direct his energy toward a serious attempt at making peace. And he should talk to the Palestinians.
As matters now stand, the Israeli government is speaking with two voices, one belonging to Shimon Peres, who is not authorized to exceed the limits fixed by Sharon; the other to Sharon, who has frequently reneged on promises made by his foreign minister. Why should the Palestinians have to accept this duality, why should they be able to speak only with an interlocutor who has no independent power of his own, with no assurance that the real decision-maker will honor his commitments?
It remains to be seen whether Bush’s remarks mark a turning point by the United States for a comprehensive settlement. His comments could inevitably force a clash with American Jews whose votes and donations Bush needs to protect his Republican majority in the House. But a significant policy position has been staked out in the White House, one that appears the US president will not back down from.
