After four years of the Aqsa Intifada, which began in September
2000, one can say that things have never been worse than they are
today. The infrastructure of the Palestinian Authority has been
totally destroyed, the absence of the rule of law is prevalent
throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the sufferings of
the Palestinian civilians are beyond any imagination and the
expansion of the Jewish colonies (settlements) in the OPT during
this period has doubled - an intentional intensive effort to
undermine any possibility of embarking on a negotiation track to
seek a political settlement to the conflict based upon the
Two-State Solution, as agreed in the Oslo Declaration of
Principles.
The Israeli army has reoccupied the West Bank and parts of the Gaza
Strip. Israeli military operations killing several Palestinians
every day and destroying dozens of houses every month are becoming
a daily routine. All of this is accompanied by a continuous Israeli
construction of the so-called Separation Wall, unilaterally
dictating the future borders of Israel regardless of any damage
caused to Palestinians or Palestinian interests. Security is the
justification for any atrocities Israel commits against the
Palestinians.
On the other hand, during these years Israel has suffered a large
number of attacks against its civilians, mainly by suicide attacks
in restaurants, cafes, buses and public places, killing many
Israelis. Both sides have become stuck in a vicious circle of
violence and counter-violence. The attacks by each side are used by
the other to justify its revenge response. The Israeli forces
adopted an assassinations policy to fight against Palestinian
militants, who responded with suicide attacks to avenge their
killed comrades.
Facts on the ground have proven, without any doubt, that neither
side will defeat the other. The only way out of the current tragic
situation is a political path. Violence and military actions are
not the answer.
The events of the last four years have destroyed confidence between
the two parties and deepened hatred and suspicion between them. It
is obvious that there is no chance to resume contacts between the
two sides without a third party - in spite of the fact that all
previous attempts have failed because of the lack of a persistent
effort to make any real progress and the stubborn positions of both
sides, which produced the vicious circle of violence and
counter-violence - Israel's iron fist and assassination policy and
Palestinian suicide attacks against Israelis.
The Separation Wall will not provide security for the Israelis. It
may provide a temporary answer, but in the long run it will become
an incentive for more violence. And the unilateral approach can
only complicate the situation even further.
Ariel Sharon's unilateral initiative can be developed and used as a
lever to move the political process forward. Unfortunately Sharon
is still insisting that there is no Palestinian partner, and the
U.S. administration is accepting his argument. Nevertheless, the
U.S. is negotiating with Sharon on behalf of the Palestinians (!)
on substantial issues such as the Separation Wall, the settlements
and the unilateral withdrawal from Gaza. The absence of the
Palestinian component will force Sharon to keep Gaza under siege
and to carry out military operations deep in the Gaza Strip from
time to time, as a reprisal for attacks that will continue from
Gaza against Israel. The only way to prevent this scenario is to
start a bilateral process, using Sharon's initiative, but within
the framework of the Road Map, creating a momentum to enhance
efforts to revive the political negotiations between the Israelis
and the Palestinians.
The first phase of the Road Map provides for measures and steps
that can be taken by both sides, to provide security for the
Israelis and to normalize the life of the Palestinians, putting an
end to their sufferings and giving them a political horizon and
hope by freezing settlements activities and paving the road towards
resuming the peace process. This requires the intervention of third
party intermediaries. This should be the role of the international
community.