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News Analysis: Mideast Peace Efforts Yet to Break Impasse
The Israeli-Palestinian efforts to secure a lasting ceasefire, which were revived under US pressure following the September 11 terror attacks, are still facing great challenges with both sides yet to strive to consolidate any positive changes on the ground.
A key issue to be addressed is that Israel itself must have an agreement or consensus on a truce with the Palestinians. This, however, seems still far away at least for the time being.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Thursday night again banned Foreign Minister Shimon Peres from conducting further ceasefire talks with the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Chairman Yasser Arafat.
Sharon's decision frustrated Peres, who were discussing with Arafat whether Israel should further ease restrictions on the Palestinians in line with the ceasefire agreement they reached on September 26 after many painstaking efforts.
Peres argued that there had been a sufficient reduction in the level of violence to justify measures laid down in the agreement, while Sharon insisted the violence had not abated and any further talks with the Palestinians would cause damage to Israel.
The Peres-Sharon tension is nothing new and, like always, stems from their different approaches to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Peres, who views Arafat as a partner rather than an enemy, has proposed Israel ease economic pressure and restrictions on the Palestinian people to facilitate Arafat's endeavor to curb extremist factions.
Sharon, to the contrary, wants to exert even more pressure on the Palestinian leader and rejects continued ceasefire efforts.
The Hawkish prime minister stands firm even in defiance of repeated calls from the U.S. administration to bring about a ceasefire while the U.S. and its allies are waging military operations in Afghanistan.
To this extent, discrepancies within the Israeli cabinet will undoubtedly cast doubts on the prospect of bringing both Israel and the Palestinians out of their year-long bloody conflicts.
The picture is not yet completely a dim one. Nevertheless, at least there have been somewhat cooperative moves between the two sides since the September 11 terror attacks in the U.S..
Israel, which has been accused of using excessive force against the Palestinians, stopped harsh military reprisals against Palestinian attacks over the past few days and its diplomatic campaign against the PNA, following Arafat's announcement of stopping attacks on the Israeli settlements.
The PNA, while strongly condemning terrorism, acted to stem pro- Osama bin Laden demonstrations in the Gaza Strip on Monday. Another positive step came recently when the U.S. took a significant turn by declaring its commitments to backing an independent Palestinian state and offering a peace initiative to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts.
The U.S. overture could prove remarkable pressure on Israel and encouragement for the PNA to curb extremist factions which reject the ceasefire agreement reached between Peres and Arafat last month.
Under such circumstances, both Israelis and Palestinians are expected to move forward to realize the long-awaited true before reactivating the stalled Middle East peace process.
Observers believe that Israel needs to alleviate the Palestinian plight caused by its closures, or else the PNA will find it difficult to work to meet its part of the ceasefire commitments.
In addition, the United States is yet to unveil a detailed peace plan to back its pledge to mediate more actively in the Israeli- Palestinian issue.
Analysts also pointed out that without a clear roadmap to move forward, it will remain difficult for both the Israelis and Palestinians to break the ice and achieve a solid ceasefire on the ground.
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