"Road Map" peace plan for Middle East

Submitted by martin on 16 May, 2003 - 10:16

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By Dan Katz
Less than two weeks have passed since the publication of the long awaited "road map" peace plan for Israel Peace Plan- officially a joint venture by the US and European powers - yet already it has disappeared from the diplomatic discourse.

George Bush made no mention at all of the road map in his most recent speech on the Middle East, on Friday 9 May. That is because the US has decided to put the road map to one side to focus on obtaining reciprocal gestures of "good faith" from the Israelis and Palestinians that could lead to a renewal of political dialogue.
Bush has said that his administration would work "tirelessly towards a two-state vision - Israel and Palestine living alongside each other in peace." But according to the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz, Israeli officials believe that Bush will not risk his political prestige with any move which has a limited chance of success.
In any case the vision of "two states" in the "Road Map" document is vague and thus likely to favour the status quo - a fragmented Palestinian territory, broken up by blocs of Israeli settlements, roads and security outposts, a Palestinian state that is little better than a bantustan.
Colin Powell met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Sunday 11 May. But Powell dodged difficult issues such as the new Israeli demand that the Palestinians renounce the right of return for refugees before negotiations begin, and he brushed aside questions about Jewish settlements and outposts in the occupied territories by saying that talks on that would wait until a later visit to the US by the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon.
The new Palestinian prime minister Abu Mazen, under pressure from the US, has been attempting to broker a ceasefire with Hamas and Islamic Jihad to end suicide bombings and other attacks on Israel and Israeli targets. Abu Mazen has also asked for American help to get Israel to curb the expansion of settlements, halt assassinations and allow freedom of movement for the Palestinian president, Yasser Arafat.
Given the lack of seriousness on the US side, the belligerent right-wing government in Israel, and the weakness of the Palestinians, it is difficult to see any political breakthrough in the near future. Socialists and labour movement activists should step up our demand for Israel to get out of the Occupied Territories and let the Palestinians form a state of their own with the same rights as Israel.

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