Attacks jolt Mideast peace plan

But instead, people here woke up to what seems like a Middle Eastern interpretation of the movie "Groundhog Day" - same story, different victims.

Even before the latest violence, Sharon has refused to endorse the road map because he feels that, among other things, it too closely mirrors the failed Oslo Accords. It sets, for example, a timetable for the path each side should take, but Sharon believes progress should be based on achievements - not deadlines.

"We're not going to commit ourselves to do anything until we see proof of real will and capability on the part of Abu Mazen," says Mark Heller, a political scientist at the Jaffe Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University. "The mood in Israel now is that we're not going to give them rewards for not doing what they should not have done in the first place. We're not going to hold out a carrot for them."

The catch, Palestinians say, is that they can hardly fight terror when their security infrastructure has been effectively destroyed by the Israeli military in the course of the uprising.

But, says Mr. Heller, if Sharon is seen to be holding out a hand to Abu Mazen - such as easing restrictions on Palestinians to bolster him in comparison to a still-strong Arafat - it may make it even more difficult for Abu Mazen to secure a power base.

"Being nice to him might even backfire. Already he's subject to accusations of being an Israeli-American stooge. The more you hug him, the more vulnerable he is," says Heller.

Palestinians, however, argue that preconditions are what is keeping the road map out of reach. Abu Mazen says he cannot start making the moves Israel requires until Sharon accepts the very formula outlined by the Bush administration - which ends with the creation of a Palestinian state in the next two to 2-1/2 years.

Launching a campaign against Palestinian rejectionist groups can only become more palatable if Palestinian lives become livable, says Ziad Abu Amar, the minister of culture in the Palestinian Authority's new cabinet.

"Sharon needs to do things on the micro and macro level," he says. "He must first set the stage by accepting the road map. It doesn't make sense anymore to say: 'I have no peace partner.' Second, he can start with some steps to ease the restrictions on the Palestinian people, like lifting road blocks, ending sieges on many areas, stopping assassinations. He should give the new cabinet and the prime minister some breathing space. The man [Abu Mazen] is under terrible pressure to do something, but they want him to do it while they're destroying Palestinian homes and property, and that doesn't give him much of a chance," he says.

"If they are under constant attack, how are they are going to maintain order?" he asks. "You don't tie their hands and ask them to swim."

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