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Powell patches Mideast peace
In Jordan, US envoy pushes Palestinians and Israelis back to talks after weekend of violence.
JERUSALEM
Secretary of State Colin Powell and other international leaders reaffirmed Sunday their commitment to Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts, even as the two sides seem locked in an impasse of mutual recrimination and distrust.
"What we're trying to do with the road map is to get both parties to meet their obligations and move forward," Secretary Powell said, referring to the road map peace plan drafted last spring by the US, the United Nations, theEuropean Union, and Russia.
The high-level meeting, on the fringes of the World Economic Forum in Jordan, comes after four days of Israeli-Palestinian violence that has slowed the road map's progress.
Israeli and Palestinian officials are grappling over security control in the Gaza Strip and the challenge posed by the militant group Hamas, steps required in the first stage of the peace plan.
Their lack of progress stems not only from Israeli concerns about the Palestinian ability to deliver on security, but from Palestinian doubts about Israel's commitment to the road map, particularly after the Saturday killing of a senior Hamas leader.
The impasse also underscores the weakness of Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, who faces a political dilemma as he tries to defuse Hamas at US and Israeli insistence.
Powell's appearance at the forum followed a flying visit to Jerusalem and Jericho on Friday, when he met separately with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Mr. Abbas.
Israeli media reported that Powell spent much of his time with Mr. Sharon poring over maps of the Gaza Strip, offering the familiar image of a senior American leader arriving with a grand vision of Israeli-Palestinian peace and ending up mired in tiny details.
The detail in this case is a road running through the Gaza Strip.
Palestinians want full control over Gaza, a Hamas stronghold. Israel, citing doubts about the Palestinian ability to ensure security, insists on maintaining a military presence at junctions along this road, which leads to three Israeli Jewish settlements.
Israeli officials point to attacks in the last few days to underscore their point about security concerns. They also raise this concern in discussions about their extrajudicial killings of militants.
In road-map discussions, Palestinians have insisted that Israel stop the practice, arguing that it ruins their chances of establishing a cease-fire with militant groups. Israelis, however, have received qualified approval from the US to continue striking at "ticking bombs" - militants, they say, are about to carry out an attack.
"We can understand the situation of a 'ticking bomb' when there is an immediate threat that has to be dealt with," Powell said in Jordan Sunday.
He acknowledged Palestinian concerns by adding that "anything outside that has to be looked at in light of our need to move forward."
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