It is a known fact that the root cause of an unstable Mideast lies in the age-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Without any constructive peace deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians leading to the creation of a separate Palestinian state living peacefully with Israel, there is virtually no hope for the stability in the region.
As American secretary of state Condoleeza Rice gets ready to visit Bethlehem to meet both the conflicting parties to revive the neglected peace process, she knows that the onus is very much on the United States to bring both Israel and Palestine to the negotiation table.
But this might prove to be a monumental task as the current situation in the middle-east is not at all ideal for any peace initiative. The situation in Iraq is gradually deteriorating towards a full-scale civil war arousing Arab anger towards the United States. Last year’s Israel-Hezbollah war had also made the condition in the region vulnerable. Israel continues to target radical Palestinian militants inside Gaza Strip, killing more Palestinians and in turn making the Israelis vulnerable to Hamas rocket attacks.
Furthermore, there are deep political disagreements within the respective Israeli and Palestinian governments. The Palestinians seem to suffer more from this divide. Radical Palestinian militant group Hamas heads government in Gaza and this is proving to be a major hindrance in any peace deal with Israel. Hamas does not recognize Israel’s existence and therefore it is not in a position to go ahead with any peace deal and vice-versa.
On the other hand, another influential but moderate Palestinian group, Fatah, of which President Abbas is the leader wants Hamas to compromise on its position leading to fierce clashes between the two groups. And Israel Palestinian rivalry and militants in Israel who forces PM Olmert not to strike any deal with West Benk or Hamas led Gaza either. Herein lies the challenge for the US and the international community at large to bring the two sides closer.
Another issue that is proving to be a block in any sort of improvement in Israeli-Palestinian relationship is Israel’s building of security barrier which has prevented ordinary Palestinians from leading a normal life giving rise to widespread anger.
Apart from the Americans it’s also the Arab world which has to take some responsibility in diffusing the situation. Influential Arab countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt must come forward and work with both Israel and Palestine for a permanent solution to the oldest and longest running Middle-Eastern conflict.
Source link: reuters
