Spiraling Violence vs. Peace

The Middle East peace process threatens to unravel before it gets far, with violence breaking out anew, including Israel’s attempt to assassinate a militant Islamic leader and a Palestinian suicide bomber’s killing of at least 16 people on a bus in Jerusalem.

President Bush played a key part in getting leaders of Israel and the Palestinian Authority to try to halt this murderous cycle; he has to keep up the pressure and not let terrorism and army reprisals torpedo attempts to end the conflict.

Bush met in Aqaba, Jordan, only a week ago with the Palestinian Authority’s new prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, and Israel’s prime minister, Ariel Sharon. Abbas promised “full efforts” to end 32 months of Palestinian attacks on Israel, but the militant group Hamas quickly rejected a proposed cease-fire.

Soon afterward, Hamas and two other groups coordinated an attack on an Israeli army outpost, killing four soldiers. Sharon commendably held off retaliation and began fulfilling his promise to remove settlement outposts in occupied Palestinian territory. Regrettably, Israel on Tuesday tried to kill Abdulaziz Rantisi, Hamas’ most visible leader. Hours after Rantisi’s wounding, a suicide bomber blew up the bus and Israeli helicopter gunships attacked Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Bush rebuked Israel for the attack on Rantisi and another in Gaza hours later and said they would not make Israel more secure. The Jerusalem bombing underlined his message. Israel’s retaliation also undercut Abbas, who already had doubtful capacity to persuade Hamas and other groups to stop terror attacks. Unless Abbas can show concrete signs of progress -- including persuading Israel to remove settlements housing more than 200,000 Israelis in the occupied territories -- he will have little Palestinian support.

Abbas condemned the bus bombing, as did Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian Authority president, who should publicly support Abbas’ peace efforts and condemn all violence against Israelis. Bush urged other nations to crack down on money transfers to Hamas and other groups carrying out terrorist attacks; this is an important step.

Tit-for-tat retaliation lets terrorists sabotage the peace process. Israel needs to be secure from terrorist attacks, but reprisal killings are not the answer. The better route is giving Abbas a chance, especially so he can rebuild a Palestinian security apparatus that can stop the bombings and be a cornerstone of an eventual Palestinian state.