New forces for peace

Thursday, November 17, 2005

A CHANGE in leadership of the Labor Party in Israel has created new uncertainty -- as well as opportunities -- in the effort to reach agreement with the Jewish state's Palestinian neighbors. The hopeful sign is the pro-peace commitment and new energy brought to that cause by Amir Peretz, who last week defeated elder statesman and Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres to head the once-dominant party.

Labor is currently the junior partner in the governing Likud-led coalition of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Peretz, a 53-year-old union chief and Sephardic Jew, lost no time vowing to end his party's role in Sharon's regime. This would bring down the government and necessitate elections early next year. That suggests a negative impact of Labor's shift on the peace process: The long-sought two-state settlement could languish for want of a fully empowered negotiator on the Israeli side.

Polls indicate the unlikelihood of Labor displacing the hawkish Likud in the next electoral round, given the Israeli public's overriding concern about security in the face of any new Palestinian violence. Peretz still may propose legislation offering Jewish settlers in the West Bank compensation to quit that occupied territory, following the pattern of paying 9,000 Israeli settlers for evacuating the Gaza Strip in accord with Sharon's disengagement plan.

The importance of a strong U.S. role was underscored this week with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's efforts in helping to secure an Israeli-Palestinian agreement to open the borders along the Gaza Strip. Rice's extended stay in the region, at a critical point in talks, sent a significant message about the administration's willingness to help forge resolutions. The successful outcome was a hopeful portent of her diplomatic deftness.

The United States and other international backers of the "road map" to Middle Eastern peace are seeking to maintain movement toward a comprehensive deal on Palestinian statehood, so the process does not stall after Sharon's Gaza evacuation. Palestinian elections soon will suggest whether moderation can triumph over anti-Israel extremism to help advance the two-state talks.