Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said last week that stopping Israeli settlements is “not on the horizon right now.” Such comments raise the possibility that the much-touted “road map” for Middle Eastern peace may lead to a place that doesn’t exist. His comments were followed by suicide bombings this weekend and Monday that killed 13 Israelis and make peace even harder to achieve.

The map, an ambitious document backed by the United States, the United Nations, European Union and Russia, calls for concessions from both the Palestinians and Israelis, leading to the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005. Just to get on the map the Palestinians had to elect a new prime minister to replace Yasir Arafat. That has been done. The Palestinians have not, as the road map directs, reigned in terrorism. Now, it is clear Prime Minister Sharon has no intention of tearing down Israeli settlements in the West Bank, another key provision of the document.

Before the road trip begins, everyone must agree on where they are going. The Palestinians have agreed to the road map. The Israelis have not. They say they won’t sign onto the plan until the Palestinian terrorists stop suicide bombings and other attacks on Israelis. The Palestinians say they won’t stop the attacks until the Israelis agree to the road map. This circular reasoning can continue ad nauseam unless one group makes the next move.

A Tuesday meeting between President Bush and Mr. Sharon was postponed because of the weekend attacks. However, if the United States is serious about bringing peace to the region, those talks must be rescheduled soon. Then, it is imperative that President Bush to encourage the prime minister to at least get on the road toward peace. A good place to start is by not only discussing the issue of settlements but stopping their construction. The next step would be the dismantling of those built since 2001, as the peace plan requires. Since Mr. Sharon took office in the spring of 2001, at least a dozen, possibly three dozen, new settlements have been built. Population growth in the settlements is four times greater than that in Israel as a whole. Clearly, settlements are being built to claim territory not to accommodate a growing population.

If he were to meet with Palestinian Prime Minister, Mahmoud Abbas, which, regrettably, he is not, Mr. Bush must reiterate the importance, as much as he can assert influence on terrorist groups, of stopping the suicide bombing missions and other attacks on Israelis.

While both sides are busy pointing out what the other has not done, or not committed to doing, the bodies continue to pile up. On Saturday, suicide bombers killed nine Israelis in two attacks. Two other attacks failed to inflict Israeli injuries. Then, on Monday another attack killed four Israelis. Last week, five Palestinians, including a 12-year-old boy, were killed by Israeli forces.

The road to peace will no doubt be bumpy, but if both sides are on it together, they may ultimately get to their destination – with a lot of direction from those with the map.