Mission Impossible
<<American power has not been enhanced by the spectacle of Mr. Sharon brazenly ignoring Mr. Bush's call for an immediate withdrawal.>>
The New York Times / Editorial
April 18, 2002
Thanks to Israeli and Palestinian intransigence, Secretary of State Colin Powell headed home yesterday with almost nothing tangible to show for his 10-day exercise in Middle Eastern diplomacy. President Bush now faces not only the prospect of continued bloodshed in the region, but also diminished American clout. Rarely have Washington's calls for restraint been so rudely rebuffed by Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
The simple truth is that both Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Yasir Arafat, the Palestinian leader, brushed off the American effort to end the violence. As Secretary Powell dryly put it, "Cease-fire is not a relevant term at the moment."
Mr. Sharon's new promise to withdraw Israeli troops from most Palestinian areas within a week was late and inadequate. Mr. Bush asked him to pull back immediately more than a week ago, as Mr. Powell was beginning his mission, a time when Israeli cooperation would have been most helpful. By dragging the fighting out, and vowing to conduct future military operations in Palestinian communities as they see fit, Israeli leaders make talk of a truce virtually meaningless.
The short-term security gains Israel has realized with its military sweep through the West Bank will not eradicate the threat of more suicide bombings. And its actions have hurt its political cause, hardening Palestinian anger at the occupation of the West Bank and reinforcing animosity toward Israel throughout the Arab world. Israel's theory that it is waging a common war against terrorism with America does not hold up when its tanks and bulldozers demolish Palestinian neighborhoods.
Secretary Powell got equally little help from the Palestinians and their Arab benefactors. Aside from a condemnation of suicide attacks by Mr. Arafat, which means little if he and other Palestinian leaders fail to act, there was no sign that the Palestinians are ready to end the violence and move back to peace talks. Arab leaders, who could lean on the Palestinian leadership to curb the bombings, greeted Mr. Powell with polite but empty gestures of support.
It is not obvious where the peace track goes from this low point. George Tenet, the director of central intelligence, may travel to the Middle East soon in hopes of restarting the talks between Israeli and Palestinian security forces that he led last year. Mr. Tenet's work produced a plan for cooperative steps that, in theory, could reduce the violence and open the way to renewed political discussions. There is also talk, recently supported by Mr. Sharon, of convening an internal peace conference on the Middle East. None of these ideas are likely to go very far as long as Israeli forces maintain a stranglehold on Palestinian communities in the West Bank and Palestinian bombers are dispatched on their homicidal missions by terror groups like Hamas and the Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades.
The Bush administration bears some responsibility for the depressing state of affairs. Mr. Sharon and Mr. Arafat may be improbable partners for peacemaking, but the administration let the violence grow into a conflagration before it intervened forcefully. By then even American influence was no match for the anger and bloodshed. American power has not been enhanced by the spectacle of Mr. Sharon brazenly ignoring Mr. Bush's call for an immediate withdrawal. We would like nothing more than to affirm Mr. Bush's declaration yesterday that Secretary Powell made progress toward peace, but right now we don't see much reason for optimism.
nytimes.com
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btw, Myron thanks for sharing the article by the European journalist...there are many valuable perspectives to consider. |
