Rabbi Amy Small, Dr. Sayyid Muhammad Syeed



 
 
 
     
Urgent Steps Needed on the Road to Peace


The United States, in coordination with the Quartet, should immediately take the following steps to renew momentum for negotiated peace -

  1. Strongly reiterate the unequivocal call for an end to all acts of violence and work actively with the Palestinian Authority, the Israeli Government and Arab states to restart negotiations and achieve and maintain a ceasefire agreement.
    Ending violent attacks and counter attacks is essential to making progress toward peace. During the several week period following the Aqaba Summit the Road Map began to develop traction and people on both sides began to believe it could work. The United States, in coordination with the Quartet, should work actively with the Palestinian Authority, the Israeli Government and the Arab states to restart negotiations, halt the cycle of violence, and resume progress toward negotiated two-state solution.

  2. Exercise active, determined U.S. and Quartet engagement, including consistent, visible presence of a special Presidential Envoy and larger scale, public monitoring of implementation required by both sides.
    Given the legacy of four years of violent confrontation, the level of mistrust between the parties, and the pressures on Israeli and Palestinian leaders, there is need for active high level, public engagement by the United States and the Quartet, including consistent, visible presence of a special Presidential Envoy, in pressing for implementation of steps required by both the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli Government. The monitoring system for measuring implementation needs to be larger, more vigorous and visible.

  3. Determine with more specificity steps that each side must take and set a timetable for taking them. (See below for Specific Steps to be taken by the Palestinian Authority and Israel.)
    The Road Map or any realistic plan for progress toward peace must be clear in calling for specific simultaneous steps by each side to begin to address the core concerns of the other side. The United States, in coordination with the Quartet, should spell out specific steps each side must take, along get agreement on an explicit timetable for taking them. Monitors should report publicly on the performance of each party in relation to these expectations.

  4. Support benchmarks for possible mutually acceptable peace agreements based on the principles and ideas generated in earlier negotiations and in current Israeli-Palestinian civil society projects, such as the Peoples Voice, One Voice, and the Geneva Accord.
    The goal of negotiations is a two-state solution, i.e., the creation of a viable, independent and democratic Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel, with peace and security for both peoples. Progress toward this goal is a vital element of international efforts to promote a comprehensive peace, including the Syrian-Israeli and Lebanese-Israeli peace agreements. The goal of comprehensive Arab-Israeli-Palestinian peace requires that the United States and the Quartet work to restart negotiations on all tracks. The principles and ideas discussed in formal and informal negotiations (Israeli-Palestinian negotiations at Taba, Egypt in 2000-01and currently in the civil society projects such as the Peoples' Voice, One Voice, and the Geneva Accord; and Israeli-Syrian negotiations at Wye, Maryland in 1995) provide important hopeful benchmarks for possible mutually acceptable solutions. Focusing public attention on these ideas can help allay fears on both sides and build support in the Middle East and here for realistic compromises on crucial, sensitive issues, including borders, security, refugees and the future of Jerusalem.

The United States, in coordination with the Quartet, should insist the Palestinian Authority -

  1. Continue and deepen the process of democratic reforms and financial accountability.
    It is essential for progress in negotiations and for the future of a Palestinian state that the process of democratic reform and financial accountability continue, including support for a Prime Minister and Cabinet level ministers with real authority, the development of a constitution, free press, free and fair elections, consolidation of security forces, and progress on other judicial, administrative and economic benchmarks, as established by the International Task Force on Palestinian Reform. The U.S. and Quartet should adopt a realistic, balanced approach of pressing for continuing the democratic reform process, while not dictating the choice of leadership for the Palestinian people.

  2. Take effective action to halt violent attacks against Israelis, punish those who commit any such acts, and gain commitments from all factions to cooperate in implementing steps toward peace.
    The Palestinian suicide bombings and other acts of terrorism not only are morally indefensible and generate tremendous fear, frustration and anger among Israelis, but also have very seriously hurt the legitimate interests of the Palestinian people. The new Palestinian Prime Minister, the Interior Minister and the Palestinian Authority as a whole must find ways to prevent these attacks and to gain agreement from all Palestinian factions on supporting, or at least not interfering with, the steps required by Palestinians in implementing the Road Map.

  3. Cooperate with regional and international efforts to cut-off aid and dismantle those groups which persist in planning or carrying out acts of violence against Israelis.
    The Palestinian Authority should consider individuals or groups which persist in planning or carrying-out violent attacks against Israelis to be illegal and against the fundamental interests of the Palestinian people. In such cases, the Palestinian Authority should cooperate with international efforts to cut-off any funds to such individuals or organizations, and effectively dismantle those organizations.

  4. U.S., regional, and international support and (effectively monitored) economic aid should be increased to bolster the Palestinian central authority's capacity to consolidate and strengthen its security forces, prevent terrorist attacks; and to deliver humanitarian aid, vital services, and development assistance to the Palestinian people. (This becomes even more urgent in light of intended Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.)
    Three years of violent attacks, counter-attacks and military reoccupation have taken a terrible toll on the capacity of the Palestinian Authority to provide security or vital social services. Increased U.S. and international (effectively monitored) economic aid is essential to rebuilding and enabling the Palestinian Authority to carry out its responsibilities in implementation of steps toward peace, including consolidating security forces, preventing terrorist attacks and becoming the reliable, primary source of services and aid to the Palestinian people.

Simultaneously, the United States, in coordination with the Quartet, should insist that Israel -

  1. Take effective action to dismantle all unauthorized settlement outposts established since March 2002 and freeze expansion of existing settlements.
    The Israeli government’s continued support for expansion of settlements in the West Bank and Gaza is a major threat to the viability of a future Palestinian state, directly undermines Palestinian confidence in the peace process, compounds Israeli security problems, and represents an additional economic burden on a seriously hurting Israeli economy.

  2. Exercise measures, such as lifting curfews and easing restrictions on movement within the West Bank and Gaza, to improve the humanitarian situation of Palestinians.
    Reports have documented the terrible humanitarian crisis Palestinians face as a result of the three years of violent confrontation and reoccupation of Palestinian areas. There are measures which the Israeli Government can and should take, such as lifting curfews and easing restrictions on the movement of people and goods within the West Bank and Gaza, which would improve the humanitarian situation.

  3. Halt construction of the Security "Fence" or "Wall" beyond the Green Line around settlements in areas which require confiscation of more Palestinian land and threaten the viability of a future Palestinian state.
    It is understandable, even if it is no solution, that Israeli frustration over continued violent attacks by Palestinians led to support for building a Security "Fence" or "Wall" to separate Israel from the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. However, the actual and proposed route of the Wall is complicated by Israel’s commitment to defend Jewish settlements. The Wall has been and is being constructed in areas which require confiscation of more Palestinian land, effectively encage the local Palestinian population, and threaten the viability of a future Palestinian state. (This position, though adopted earlier, received important support in the Israeli Supreme Court decision on the "Wall.".)

  4. In coordination with the Palestinian Authority demonstrating capacity to prevent violent attacks, withdraw Israeli military forces from areas reoccupied since September 2000.
    As the Palestinian Authority demonstrates increased capacity to prevent violent attacks against Israelis, Israel should withdraw its military forces from areas reoccupied since September 2000. (Israel's plan to withdraw from Gaza and dismantle some settlements can be a positive steop in this process.) Achieving real security for Israelis and ending the occupation for Palestinians are the twin essentials for building peace. The United States needs to engage with the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority to develop specific steps and a timetable for this process.