Ariel Sharon appears ready to take the plunge for peace. He has shocked his own constituents by promising ‘painful concessions’ – i.e. biblical Jewish land he is prepared to cede in order to facilitate the creation of a Palestinian state. We can argue over whether the prime minister speaks in good faith (he has since backtracked on some of his comments), but by publicly stating his readiness to make concessions, he has effectively dealt a death blow to his dream of Eretz Yisrael sh’leima – the Land of Israel complete.
When will Mahmoud Abbas be forced to shock his constituents and temper the most radical clause of the PA-PLO platform, the so-called ‘Right of Return’? When will the Palestinians be forced to compromise their dreams?
In 2003, pundits and politicians are once again speaking of a ‘New Middle East.’ Indeed, the Middle East has the potential of being a different place than it was even just a year ago, when President Bush unveiled his vision of two states living side by side in peace and security – but only if he insists on remaining true to his original stipulations.
The first step would be chucking this road map and setting a new course.
