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Politics : The Iraq War And Beyond -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ed Huang who wrote (287)	7/30/2003 10:50:04 PM
From: Ed Huang	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 9018

IS SHARON RETURNING HOME VICTORIOUS? MOSCOW, JULY 30th, 2003 (Marianna Belenkaya, RIA Novosti political observer) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is making a victorious return home following the latest round of talks in the United States with President George W. Bush. At a joint press conference in Washington D.C., Bush praised Sharon for the decision to release 540 Palestinians from Israeli jails. He asked the Israeli leader to be more flexible and patient with Palestine, but would not criticise him, not even for his reluctance to dismantle Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza. It seems the American side is fully satisfied with the way Israel has so far been implementing the Mideast Road Map. Many Israelis are under the impression; they think their leader has been able to convince Bush that the main obstacle in the way toward peace is the ongoing terrorist activity of Palestinian militants rather than Israel's occupation of Arab territories. Like Sharon, Bush believes that terrorism should be fought against without trying to identify the causes behind it or to reach a compromise with the perpetrators of terrorist acts. The Israeli PM appreciates Bush's stand, viewing the American President as the global community's leader in the war on terrorism. Both Bush and Sharon are aware that PA Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, is not strong enough to eliminate the infrastructure of Islamic militant groups (such as HAMAS or the Islamic Jihad) in Palestinian-controlled territories. His open confrontation with these groups may lead to a civil war, as they have become part of Palestine's social fabric through lavish contribution to various community programs. The Palestinian public do not think much of Abbas' activity as Prime Minister, with the roads in the West Bank still blocked by Israeli soldiers and hundreds of Palestinians remaining in Israeli custody. The cease-fire expires September 29, and it is unclear whether Israeli-Palestinian peace talks will be able to make any progress by then. Israeli authorities have promised to dismantle illegal checkpoints set up in the last three years of the intifada, but they are continuing their expansion in Palestinian-administered territories. Israel continues building a fence in the West Bank, saying it will help thwart terrorist attacks. PA President Yasser Arafat has already called the fence another "Berlin Wall," saying it will ghettoize the Palestinians. Some time ago, Bush promised Abbas he would have Israel stop the fence construction. But during his latest visit to the States, Sharon expressed his resolve to get the project completed. The U.S. President was taken aback by the statement, and could not but express the hope that further advancement of the peace process would make the fence irrelevant. But is the Israeli-Palestinian peace process really making any headway? It is doubtful that the roadmap to peace will be implemented within the set timeframe, if ever. So, it may well be that the West Bank fence is here to stay. The Palestinians have now come to realise that they should not trust President Bush, who remains prejudiced against PA and cannot make an impartial mediator. Sharon is indeed returning home victorious, but this victory of his may turn out Pyrrhic. feeds.bignewsnetwork.com