Gunmen target Mideast road map

Not even a week after President Bush personally presented the latest plan for peace between the Palestinians and Israel, the road map is already under siege.

Despite pledges made by the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers when they faced the cameras with Mr. Bush in Aqaba, Jordan, the four days since the summit have not given much grounds for optimism.

While Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon faces internal criticism for his endorsement of the road map, his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas, faces challenges to his authority that could undermine the plan's chances of success.

"Each [leader] has his own internal battles ahead of him," says Shmuel Bar of the Institute of Policy and Strategy in Herzilya. But Mr. Abbas is facing "a moment of truth when he will reach his Rubicon and will have to decide whether he uses what strength he has in order to crack down on Hamas with Israeli and US help."

Abbas's troubles may also affect US fortunes in the Middle East. As US forces fight on in Iraq, steady progress in resolving the Israel-Palestinian conflict could go a long way to calming Arab anger. But if Palestinian militants dig in for a long fight, Abbas may not be the only one facing a major test.

The depth of that challenge was made clear Sunday morning, when Palestinian militants joined together for the first major attack against Israelis since the road map debuted, sending a message of defiance to Israelis, the US, and Abbas.

Israel insists that Abbas rein in militant groups before it begins talks, and Bush, at the summit, stressed the need for Israeli security.

The Palestinian prime minister's attempts to arrange a cease-fire with Hamas failed Friday after the militant group accused Abbas of making too many concessions at the summit. The day before, two of their members were assassinated by Israel.

In a rare coordinated action, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Al Aqsa Martyr's Brigade all claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack.

Each of them contributed one man to an operation that killed four Israeli soldiers and wounded another four in Gaza. The Palestinians had disguised themselves in Israeli army uniforms. All three died in the gun battle that followed the attack.

Hours earlier, a Palestinian gunman was shot dead trying to infiltrate an Israeli settlement in Gaza.

The violence reflects widespread Palestinian dismay with the road map and highlights the hurdles Abbas faces in reining in militants and developing enough power to exert control.

The coordinated attack in Gaza was "a message to Abbas that Palestinian resistance will continue," says Abdul Sattar Kassem, a political- science professor at An Najjah University in Nablus.

Mr. Kassem says militants weren't the only ones unhappy with Abbas's speech at the Aqaba summit, in which he spoke of Jewish suffering, referred to "terrorists," and called for an end to armed resistance against Israel.

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