Time for a European Initiative for Mid-East Peace

Daily Star Editorial

It is not often that potential exists to create a win-win situation out of

the sad tale that is the Middle East peace process. For more than a decade

there has been much talk about peace but very little process. The situation

today is especially negative on the ground: The Israeli separation wall,

the proposed Israeli unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, mass demolitions of

Palestinian homes, the ongoing Intifada and the unbridled killing of

Palestinians only give rise to pessimism.

We suggest, though, that there is a light at the end of a long, black

tunnel, however faint it may be. That light is represented by the European

Union - but a more activist EU than the one we know. The United States has

monopolized the peace process with no result. Indeed, the result is the

depressing deadlock the international community is now witnessing. No one,

least of all the Palestinians and Israelis who are suffering and dying in

the conflict, can afford to wait for the upcoming US elections to run their

course. It is time for a breath of fresh air and a new approach, and this

is where the EU represents a glimmer of hope.

Let the EU take the diplomatic initiative, let it tap into the overwhelming

desire for a settlement on the part of both Palestinians and Israelis, let

it prove that its influence and a balanced approach to the imbroglio are a

better bet for a resolution than what has gone before. And how might this

scenario proceed? The EU could, for example, throw its weight behind a

series of unofficial meetings between Jews and Arabs from throughout the

world that could be held in Brussels and Damascus. The meetings would have

to be "unofficial" because the US-dominated "road map" process is the

official version of hope or of what should happen. Thus, those representing

the parties involved in the conflict, as well as those who have a direct

interest in it, would have to be attending in an unofficial capacity. That

would be an advantage - the pressure to come up with more vacuous promises

would be off and the environment would be one in which real progress could

be made.

If this happens, Europe would have created a new, dynamic role for itself

in vital regional affairs, and the moribund peace process would be

revitalized. Both are goals worth the effort.

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Source: The Daily Star, July 1, 2004

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