Pull Together for Mideast

Palestinian suicide bombers kill Israelis on street corners. Israel retaliates with helicopter gunship attacks. Israeli troops search door to door in Palestinian refugee camps. A sniper kills seven Israeli soldiers and three settlers. The assaults and counterattacks in the worst violence in Israel and the occupied territories in 17 months now threaten to blend into a seamless tapestry of death. That increases the burden on nations with influence in the region, particularly Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United States, to push the combatants toward a cease-fire as a first step toward peace talks.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met with President Bush Tuesday, with both men praising Saudi Arabia’s proposal to have Israel withdraw from territories it has occupied since the 1967 Middle East war in return for recognition by Arab nations. The proposal is essentially a vague restatement of the long-standing “land for peace” vision. But it gets noticed because no better alternatives have appeared.

Mubarak arrived in Washington urging Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to meet with Palestinian Authority chief Yasser Arafat in Egypt. Israel quickly rejected the suggestion.

Israel has confined Arafat to his headquarters at Ramallah for months. That virtual house arrest has certainly not quelled the violence, and Israel should at least let Arafat attend an Arab summit in Lebanon later this month. Arab leaders are more likely to talk honestly with Arafat face to face.

The Bush administration, which has seldom criticized Sharon, took both sides to task Tuesday. Presidential spokesman Ari Fleischer said the recent violence had killed both “innocent Israelis and innocent Palestinians,” and Bush talked of families on both sides “shattered” by gunfire and bombings. The president also restated the goal of a Palestinian state coexisting with Israel, both enjoying secure borders.

Fleischer last week suggested that the Clinton administration’s unsuccessful peace initiative in the region led to the latest violence. He later acknowledged he was wrong and apologized. The incident is indicative of the Bush administration’s fear of getting bogged down in the Mideast conflict. But Bush should realize that many Arabs blame the United States for arming Israel and not pushing to end the violence. Washington needs the help of Arab nations not just in the Mideast but in the worldwide fight against terror. That of course does not mean withdrawing support for Israel. A tough line to walk, indeed.

Vice President Dick Cheney should concentrate more on peace in the region during his Mideast visit next week than on toppling Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. First things first. Bush also promised to send Mideast envoy Anthony C. Zinni back to the region “when appropriate,” which should mean as soon as there is a lull in the violence.