Speaking at a summer camp for Arab and Israeli children in Maine, Powell ignored the violations of the road map by Israel, referring only to the violent Palestinian retaliation when he said: "We will not be stopped by bombs, we will not be stopped by this kind of violence." He did not acknowledge the 856 Israeli violations of the road map. Wouldn't it have been equally appropriate to exclaim: "We will not be stopped by assassinations, home demolitions, military checkpoints, the building of illegal settlements, the uprooting of trees, the seizure of land and the deteriorating health of most Palestinian children as a result of Israel's siege and military closures?" Only the frustration felt by many Palestinians caused two Palestinian bombings in Israel on August 12, after a lull that lasted for weeks.
The cease-fire agreement signed on June 29th created a new reality as, for the first time in years, Palestinians refrained from attacking Israeli targets, military or otherwise. The Palestinian commitment to the cease-fire and the restraint Palestinian groups exhibited astonished even Palestinians themselves.
But Israel didn't reciprocate. Land confiscation continued. Bids to build new illegal settlements, commissioned by the Israeli government, were published in Israeli newspapers. Raids on West Bank towns and villages never ceased. Threats, incitement and provocative schemes by Israeli officials – such as attempts by a Knesset member to force his way into Al Aqsa Mosque, which sparked the ongoing uprising in the first place - were a daily practice.
But there's more Mr. Secretary! Sharon made it clear that he cares little about the Palestinian cease-fire. Rather than using the opportunity to rebuild the battered mutual trust between Palestinians and Israelis, he demanded that every Palestinian group be dismantled. Wouldn't you expect that despite their impressive patience, Palestinians would feel compelled to respond sooner or later? Were you really taken by surprise when a bomb or more went off in Israel, killing two Israelis on August 12?
If you were, then you could not have been watching the news for the past month. Israel's attacks on the West Bank that killed seven Palestinians and wounded many more, since the signing of the road map, left little doubt that Palestinian groups would soon retaliate. But you and your government seemed only concerned with the Israeli victims. You uttered not a word to condemn Israel's killings, rampages and violations of the agreement. Only the bombs of Palestinians seem to echo in your ear. The firepower of the fourth strongest army in the world, used against a civilian population, doesn't seem to bother you in the slightest.
I hate to be the one who breaks the bad news, but the road map is finished. It was on Israel's "targeted killing" list from the day it was leaked out to the media. I even contest that the peace initiative was born dead. It was neither fair, nor was it meant to achieve a just peace. It was a political ploy so that Bush might polish his tattered image, that of a warmonger.
If your government were genuine in its quest for peace, it would've exerted equal pressure on Sharon's government; it would've stopped channeling billions of dollars of military aid to Israel – money that is urgently needed by low-income and poor American families - it would not have applauded Sharon, perceived by millions worldwide as a convicted war criminal.
If you were genuine, Mr. Secretary, you would've stood proudly, held your head high and declared that "Israel must also respect international law, and we will see to it that Israel implements every UN resolution it has snubbed throughout the years". But you haven't. You chose to impress a few kids at a summer camp in Maine, by blaming the victim, as you have always done. "Honest broker", a role that your government assumed many years ago, is not merely an honorary title. It is a responsibility; a responsibility that you have failed to fulfill.
