Hopes of Peace Dim in Gaza

JERUSALEM, March 4, 2008 — -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is back in the Middle East, this time to monitor the progress of talks between Israelis and moderate Palestinians.

The idea for the talks started last year in Annapolis, Md., with the ambitious goal of outlining the formation of a Palestinian state by the end of the Bush presidency next year.

But today Rice walked straight into a crisis. There are no talks now and, therefore, no progress on which to check.

President Mahmoud Abbas pulled out of the negotiations Sunday to protest the number of Palestinians killed during an Israeli military operation in Gaza that left more than 100 people dead, including dozens of civilians.

Israel said it was pursuing Palestinian militants who have been firing rockets at Israelis. The Palestinian president accuses the Israelis of using indiscriminate force.

After the usual press conference in Ramallah, there was no sign that Abbas had changed his mind.

"I call on the Israeli government to halt its aggression so the necessary environment can be created to make negotiations succeed, for us and them to reach the shores of peace in 2008," he said.

Rice said that "what we are trying to achieve is not easy … but I do believe it can be done. We need very much for everybody to be focused on peace."

She also paid lip service to concerns about civilian casualties caused by recent military operations, saying the Israelis "need to be aware of the effects of these operations on innocent people."

Abbas has no influence on what happens in Gaza. Since last June, Gaza and its 1.5 million residents have been ruled by Hamas, the militant Islamic organization that refuses to recognize Israel or reject violence.

In return, Israel and the United States refuse to talk to it.

But so far, there is little sign of Hamas' hold on Gaza weakening. If anything, the latest violence has cemented the movement's popularity. Resistance, as it is called by Palestinians, is a sure way to garner support, and despite the death toll, there is little sign that Palestinians in Gaza are growing tired of the fight.

Tomorrow Rice will hold talks with Israeli leaders in Jerusalem. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is under increasing pressure to get tough on Gaza. This weekend's operation was "the beginning, not the end" of the military campaign to stop the rockets he said.

Longer range missiles have started landing in the city of Ashkelon, almost 12 miles from Gaza. It is home to strategic installations, including a power station, not to mention the 120,000 Israelis who live there. They are now in range.

That is increasing the pressure on Olmert, and the calls for a full-scale ground invasion of Gaza are growing louder, particularly from his right-wing political opponents and from within the powerful military establishment. They argue that the longer Hamas is left in charge of the coastal territory, the more powerful and well armed it will become.

None of this provides a good backdrop for peace-making. Rice will find it difficult to get the peace process back on track. For now, the atmosphere and the political landscape seems to belong to fighters rather than talkers.