A DIFFERENT ROAD TO PEACE

While it is discouraging that the Bush administration-crafted road map to peace in the Middle East has been folded up and put back in the glove compartment, there remains hope that a different route suggested by Israel may quell the tension between that country and the Palestinians.

Administration officials are in the region this week to gain more information about a proposal from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, which most importantly contains the withdrawal of Israeli troops and settlements from parts of the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

A drawback to accepting this plan, unilaterally crafted by Sharon’s government, is that it puts America more deeply in the Israeli camp. However, the proposal is worth supporting because of the major concession of settlement withdrawal. Given the choice of pursuing nonexistent peace talks or endorsing the Israeli plan in hopes that it will spur a positive Palestinian response, the choice seems clear.

As Dennis Ross, the Clinton administration’s Middle East negotiator, told The New York Times, that although this approach does not include negotiations “at least you have something that creates space for future diplomacy.”

The year-old road map called for the creation of a Palestinian state over three years. It has been tossed out because and Israel has not stopped its military operations in the Palestinian territories and Palestinian militant groups continue to attack Israelis.

The impasse is worsened by the continued construction by Israel of a barrier that separates it from the Palestinian territories. The Israeli Supreme Court recently heard arguments from rights groups about the barrier and the International Court of Justice will take up the issue later this month. Israel is boycotting those proceedings saying the world court does not have jurisdiction. The ICJ hearing comes at the request of the United Nations General Assembly, which voted 90-8 to seek an advisory opinion from the court.

Israel says the barrier, made up of fences, walls and trenches, is meant to keep out suicide bombers and others who seek to harm its citizens. Palestinians, however, say the 400-mile barrier interferes with their ability to access their land for farming and to travel to jobs and schools. Because it juts far into the West Bank in places, the barrier is also viewed as an attempt by Israel to annex Palestinian land.

Given these events, any effort to further peace should be welcomed. If Mr. Sharon’s plan, which is supported by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, is found acceptable, the withdrawals should take place. Then, pressure must be applied by diplomats from the United States and other countries on the Palestinians to respond by curtailing attacks, to the extent that Yasser Arafat or anyone is in control of the militant groups.

If this approach does not work, the crumpled up road map will still be in the glove compartment should it be needed again.