The Aqaba Summit, which once again
raised hopes for the revival of a peace process with the Palestinians,
bears all the discouraging signs of Oslo – that is a sure road to
disaster. Because, not only were the difficult issues of Jerusalem, the
settlements and the refugees once again relegated to the negotiations
for a permanent settlement, something that is certain to be crushed
after the high expectations raised by the parties before those
negotiations opened, but, once again, the issue of eliminating violence
unconditionally, as promised in Oslo and once again in Aqaba, remains
unresolved. Abu-Mazen did not condemn violence for its immorality, but
because of the expediency of the moment while the US President was
listening and watching; he did not condemn the perpetrators, whom he can
identify by name, but the acts of terror as if they were natural
calamities; and he refused to battle terror and dismantle its
infrastructure. What is the basis for the new hopes, if we once again
embark on that bumpy road of Oslo which has led us nowhere?
