A New Hope for Peace

The Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, the scene of such disappointment four and a half years ago when talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority failed to stop the second intifada from spiraling out of control, recently played host to the unveiling of a new cease-fire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. We enthusiastically applaud the new cease-fire agreed to last Tuesday by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and fervently hope that it will be strictly obeyed by both sides.

The cease-fire is both a continuation of Palestinian-Israeli cooperation and its most significant achievement to date. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice rightly noted that the signing of the cease-fire is the most promising moment for progress between Palestinians and Israelis in recent years.” The “confidence building” steps taken by both sides following Abbas’ November election seem to have created a degree of trust between the two sides that was unimaginable just six months ago.

We can only hope that future meetings between Sharon and Abbas are as productive as was their first one. Both leaders ignored the risk of appearing weak by coming back to the bargaining table, and both had to cope with vocal minorities in their respective countries which wholly reject the idea of concessions. Both leaders acted admirably and boldly; the new agreement, and the greater cooperation and trust it signals, truly is a major step forward in the peace process.

Events over the past few days show that the initially modest hopes for the cease-fire’s success were too pessimistic. While in the first few days after the cease-fire it appeared likely that Hamas and similar groups would ignore the cease-fire because they were not officially signatories to it, Abbas has been remarkably successful in convincing such groups to lay down their arms. After meeting in Gaza with Abbas yesterday, Hamas pledged to stop violence against Israel as part of a general halt in attacks by all militant groups. Hamas even went so far as to foreswear retaliatory actions if Palestinians are attacked by Israel and agreed to consult the Palestinian Authority before taking any reprisals.

Moderation has become increasingly prevalent among both the Israeli and Palestinian populations as the conflict has dragged on for an ever longer period of time, which might partly explain the recent willingness of Hamas and other groups to forego acts of violence. Yet militant elements still enjoy strong support in the West Bank and Gaza, and their peacefulness may not last if they continue to be shut out of power. Abbas and Sharon need to recognize that these groups cannot be ignored and can only be destroyed at a cost in human lives and Palestinian bitterness so high as to make it unacceptable. They will have to be co-opted into closer participation with the official organs of Palestinian governance and encouraged to devote their energies to the social work that is the basis of much of their popularity. The continued exclusion of groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad will only increase the chance of a renewal of violence.

The past week, then, has seen a fairly dramatic bettering of the security situation in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. The cease-fire agreed to by Sharon and Abbas at first seemed in danger of being completely ignored by the terrorist organizations that Israel most fears, but Abbas managed to convince them to put down their arms and foreswear aggressive action against Israel. The Palestinians so far have stuck to the agreement and made some very tough choices in doing so; we hope that Sharon and the Israeli government will show the same commitment. Finally, we hope that President Bush will not hesitate to utilize this opportunity, and that he will actively engage the U.S. in bringing both sides even closer together. After four years and several months of horrific bloodletting, a chance exists to put the Israeli and Palestinian people back on the “roadmap” towards peace. The way will be fraught with hazards, but the new boldness and bravery exhibited by both sides promise to carry Israelis and Palestinians farther down this road than ever before.