[Mb-civic] Time to spark the Mideast peace process - William S. Cohen (Yes, HIM) - Boston Globe Op-Ed

[William Swiggard]

Time to spark the Mideast peace process

By William S. Cohen  |  November 13, 2005

IN SEPTEMBER, Israel completed its Gaza withdrawal with remarkably 
little conflict, confounding pundits who had predicted violence between 
Israeli settlers and soldiers and demonstrating the resiliency of 
Israel's democratic society. The ensuing weeks, however, have confounded 
those who hoped the withdrawal would reinvigorate Israeli-Palestinian 
negotiations and demonstrated the resiliency of the conflict between the 
two societies.

The inability of the Israelis and Palestinians to reenergize the 
negotiations underscores the need for high-level involvement by the 
United States. I applaud Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who is 
currently in the region, for meeting with Israeli and Palestinian 
leaders. The Bush administration should use her visit to reenergize the 
peace process.

As the United States steps forward with a more active effort to 
facilitate progress between Israelis and Palestinians, it will gain the 
credibility needed to win the international support necessary to succeed 
in Iraq and combat Islamic terrorist networks.

Arab and other Muslim countries, whose cooperation we need to fight 
terrorist networks, face significant pressures from elites and masses 
who distrust American motives and whose barometer of American intentions 
toward the Muslim world is disproportionately a function of their 
perceptions of our actions with regard to Palestinians.

Key European governments have entered a period of increasing internal 
focus, which will erode their ability to tangibly support US policies on 
Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, and terrorism. Demonstrating US leadership in 
the Israeli-Palestinian dialogue would help to persuade these 
governments that US leadership merits their support.

Many Americans understand the national security importance of resolving 
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Thousands have joined the Campaign for 
American Leadership in the Middle East to sign an open letter to 
President Bush, encouraging him to play a leading role in working toward 
peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.

A two-state solution, as Bush has called for, requires two viable 
states. Palestinian security, social, and political structures will 
emerge. But will they be organized around a Palestinian Authority that 
seeks a negotiated resolution to the conflict and an end to terror or 
around terrorist groups like Hamas intent on using 
Palestinian-controlled territory to wage war on Israel and on American 
interests? The answer is critical to Americans as we fight a long-term 
battle against terrorist networks that use Arab media coverage of the 
Palestinian conflict as an endless telethon for raising money and recruits.

The United States recently released a stunning letter from Al Qaeda 
leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who argued that the battle for the hearts and 
minds of the Muslim world is taking place in the media. We need to 
recognize, as Zawahiri does, the importance that the Israeli-Palestinian 
conflict has for Muslims around the world and how the conflict inhibits 
our ability to combat terrorist networks. Images of the debilitating 
effect on Palestinian civilians of the ongoing conflict with Israel 
generate sympathy for Al Qaeda's agenda among many Muslims torn by 
conflicting impulses. Al Qaeda's strategic interest will be advanced by 
continuation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. America's strategic 
interests will be harmed until the conflict is resolved.

Recognizing that America has a security, not just a humanitarian, stake 
in the issue, Bush proposed $200 million in direct assistance to the 
Palestinian Authority in fiscal year 2005, but Congress balked, cutting 
that amount by a quarter and directing that the money support 
Palestinians through intermediaries rather than through the nascent 
Palestinian state institutions that provide the only plausible 
alternative to the social and security structures of Hamas. Congress is 
poised to provide $150 million for fiscal year 2006 but again banning 
any direct assistance to the Palestinian Authority. While significant, 
the stark reality is that many billions of dollars of assistance are 
needed annually to make any serious progress in building viable 
Palestinian institutions and developing basic infrastructure.

As it prepares to finalize its next budget proposal, the Bush 
administration should demonstrate leadership by supporting a Palestinian 
assistance package that most effectively will promote US interests, 
including direct assistance to the Palestinian Authority with 
appropriate monitoring. Bush also should urge the Europeans, who have 
long pressed for a greater US role, to fulfill the commitments they have 
made to provide nearly a billion dollars in assistance to the 
Palestinian Authority. Finally, the president needs to remain personally 
engaged to ensure that concrete progress is made toward resolving this 
devastating conflict.

William S. Cohen, former secretary of defense, is chief executive 
officer of The Cohen Group in Washington.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2005/11/13/time_to_spark_the_mideast_peace_process/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.islandlists.com/pipermail/mb-civic/attachments/20051113/be091b03/attachment-0001.htm