Mideast peace : In Arafat’s wake
By St. Louis Post-Dispatch – February 10, 2005
Five to years ago, the hope for peace in the Middle East died at Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, when Yasser Arafat showed he had neither the courage nor the wisdom negotiate the creation of a Palestinian state.
This week, a new Palestinian leader and an old Israeli warrior shook hands on a truce agreement at the same Egyptian resort. The terrible toll of the intervening intifada is keeping expectations in check. But there is some hope that this summit might lead to a better place than the meeting by the Red Sea in 2000.
The main reason there is movement toward peace is that Mr. Arafat – the obstructionist and enabler of terror – is dead. In addition, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, long a divisive figure, is doggedly pursuing a peace deal that could serve as a capstone of his career. Finally, the Palestinians and Israelis are exhausted by the toll of the intifada, which has left at least 3,500 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis dead.
The photographs of Mr. Sharon and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas shaking hands at Sharm el-Sheik was reminiscent of the famous handshake between Mr. Arafat and the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin at the White House in 1993, when it seemed peace was attainable. Mr. Rabin was assassinated by a right-winger, Mr. Arafat proved an unreliable partner for peace, and hardheads decided they could win more support with arms than olive branches.
The current leaders took baby steps that barely get the two parties back to the starting point of the “road map” for peace outlined three years ago by European and U.S. leaders. Both sides announced a truce. Then, on Wednesday, Israel said it would remove major roadblocks on the West Bank that have restricted travel. Over the next three weeks, Israel is to hand over to the Palestinians the security control of five West Bank towns, including Bethlehem, Jericho and Ramallah. Mr. Sharon has extended to Mr. Abbas a rare invitation to Mr. Sharon’s Sycamore ranch next week.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and King Abdullah II of Jordan presided over the summit. Both followed up by announcing plans to send their ambassadors back to Israel, and there was talk of Mr. Mubarak visiting Israel. Mr. Mubarak’s state-controlled press transformed Mr. Sharon from a murderous general to a conciliatory peace-maker almost overnight.
Still, peace is vulnerable to the sabotage of extremists on both sides, whose hatred for each other makes them view peace as the enemy. Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah refuse to be bound by the truce. In Israel, Mr. Sharon’s own foreign minister, Silvan Shalom, said he might push for a plebiscite on Mr. Sharon’s decision to withdraw from Gaza and four West Bank settlements beginning in July.
