 |
|
| THE WAR IN IRAQ | |
|
|
| PERSON OF THE YEAR The American Soldier: Defender of Freedom |
|
| THE WAR IN IRAQ "We Got Him" |
|
WORKSHEET: The Capture of Saddam |
|
The Insurgent and the Soldier |
|
If At First You Don't Succeed... |
|
Losing Hearts and Minds |
|
The Politics of War |
|
|
|
| WORLD | |
|
|
| MIDDLE EAST A Different Road Map |
|
| NUCLEAR THREATS What Will Make Them Stop? |
|
WORKSHEET: Interpreting Maps and Charts |
|
| THE NOBEL PRIZE "She Is Very Brave" |
|
WORKSHEET: The Prize for Peace |
|
|
|
| NATION | |
|
|
| ELECTION 2004 How We're Divided Over George W. Bush... and What That Says About Us |
|
Operation February |
|
| CONGRESS Spending Spree |
|
| SOCIETY The Five Meanings of Arnold |
|
Lights Out |
|
No-Call: On Hold |
|
| BUSINESS Now Hiring! |
|
| SCIENCE Running Out of Energy |
|
Inside the Food Labs |
|
WORKSHEET: Current Events in Review |
|
Answers |
|
A Different Road Map
By Matt Rees/Jerusalem
Fed up with the fighting, a group of self-nominated Israelis and Palestinians decided to see what kind of peace plan they could negotiate. What they unveiled in Geneva with some ceremony last week reflected common sense in its substance. But politically it was the diplomatic equivalent of a high-tech start-up–full of media hype but little guarantee of success. Some Israelis and Palestinians alike were appalled that unelected delegates should negotiate when the two sides are essentially at war. Palestinian refugees said the plan would eliminate their "right of return" to homes inside Israel, while many Israelis rejected the idea of a deal that did not force Palestinians to renounce that very right. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called the Geneva peace plan a "historic mistake," and the West Bank leader of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's Fatah Party, Hussein Sheikh, rejected the signatories.
The accord's negotiators argue, however, that this is an important start, that someone had to present an alternative to the violent stalemate of the intifadeh and Sharon's response. Israeli peaceniks, led by former Justice Minister Yossi Beilin, said the proposal is helping Israel reignite debate over substance, which could force the Sharon government to soften its obstructionist policies. The Palestinian delegation said it represents the first serious solution Palestinians and Israelis have accepted.
The problem lies less with the content of the proposal than with its implementation. Arafat responded with limited approval, perhaps because he wants to appear to be a man of peace and thus annoy Sharon. The Israeli Prime Minister has been vehement in his condemnation of the plan. The Bush Administration, meanwhile, seems to be lending support to Geneva only as a means of pressuring both sides into pushing ahead with Washington's idled road-map peace plan.
—from TIME, December 15, 2003
Questions
1. Why were some Israelis and Palestinians appalled by this unofficial peace plan?
2. How have Israeli and Palestinian leaders reacted to the plan?
