Lost Without a ‘Road Map’

A respite from violence would be welcome as Israel’s Jews mark Hanukkah and Christians visit Bethlehem this week. But Palestinians and Israelis need to do much more to achieve a lasting peace, and the U.S. needs to be consistent in urging both sides forward.

The killing of two soldiers in Gaza and an Israeli army assault that left eight Palestinians dead Tuesday should also amplify criticism within Israel of the occupation of the territory and military operations there. If Prime Minister Ariel Sharon fulfills what, unfortunately, remain only vague hints about removing settlements, those in Gaza should top his list.

Troops stationed in Gaza -- to protect about 7,000 Israeli settlers amid more than 1 million Palestinians -- often complain that their presence does not help Israel’s overall security. Monday night’s ambush killed two officers; hours later Israeli soldiers invaded a refugee camp to destroy tunnels from Egypt used by guerrillas and smugglers.

The attacks came after weeks of relative calm and promising progress. A “virtual” peace agreement worked out recently in Geneva between Palestinians and Israelis -- none now in government -- was welcomed by many, including U.S. Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, who met with the accord’s architects over objections by the Israeli government, which denounced it.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher visited Israel this week to report on his attempt to get Palestinian militants to stop their attacks, only to be attacked himself by Palestinians denouncing him as a traitor for talking to Israel. Worse, the jostling of Maher occurred at one of Islam’s holiest sites, the Al Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. The diplomat deserves credit for shrugging off the incident and promising to continue his attempts to persuade radical groups to end their despicable assaults on Israeli civilians and troops.

Sharon’s much-awaited speech at a security conference last week did not help Maher’s cause. Sharon trumpeted support for the “road map” to peace drawn up by the United States, Europe, Russia and the United Nations. But both Israel and Yasser Arafat’s Palestinian Authority have done little to meet their obligations under that document. The Palestinians have not begun to dismantle terrorist groups; Israel has removed few illegal outposts, most of which consist of only a few trailers.

Sharon threatened to unilaterally separate Israelis and Palestinians if the Palestinians did not resume negotiations on eventual establishment of an independent state next to Israel. Sharon’s government is building a barrier that Washington fears amounts to annexation of Palestinian territory seized in the 1967 war. Washington had warned against unilateral annexation and at first seemed to criticize Sharon’s speech but then endorsed it. That’s a mistake. It comes too close to giving up on true peace.