Friday, August 27, 2004

Dim prospects for peace

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinio...5_middled.html

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD

With public attention focused elsewhere, the Bush administration is letting Middle East peace hopes disappear.

Israelis rightly complain that peace requires a partner, a role that Yasser Arafat has been pathetically incapable of filling so far. But President Bush's readiness to redefine longstanding U.S. policy to suit Israel's current government could destroy any basis for eventually negotiating peace.

The administration deserves credit on some counts, such as pressuring Israel to abandon Gaza Strip settlements. But recent U.S. policies on the West Bank present Palestinians understandable reasons to fear they will never have adequate territory for a viable state.

Earlier this year, the president said any peace plan would leave some Israeli settlements in the West Bank, something that had always been regarded as negotiable. Now, the administration is reversing a policy opposing settlement construction and accepting Israel's plans for thousands of additional housing units near Jerusalem.

There are signs of growing desires among Palestinians and Israelis for wiser leadership. Even Arafat feels the shift, posing as a foe of corruption. Signs of change underline the need for the United States to maintain credibility as a broker, not one side's best pal.