Dennis Ross, the Clinton administration's's Middle East mediator, travelled to the region Saturday. He urged the Palestinian Authority to work with the Israelis to identify and seize arms caches as well as arrest and prosecute terrorists involved in planning or abetting violent acts. Washington is not, however, limiting its demands for changes to Palestinian conduct. Netanyahu's decision earlier this year to proceed with the Har Homa housing project in Jerusalem understandably enraged Palestinians. And now, in the aftermath of the bombing, his decision to blockade the West Bank and Gaza and suspend payments of millions of dollars Israel owes the Palestinians has predictably increased tensions between the two sides.
American diplomats are typically wary of criticizing Israeli policies.
But Albright's candor may prove instrumental in getting the negotiations back on track. If Ross's trip goes well and Israelis and Palestinians begin talking again, Albright intends to travel to the Middle East herself to try to accelerate negotiations toward a final peace settlement. Such talks would require marking out the borders of a Palestinian entity, which the Palestinian Authority hopes to make a state. They would also determine the status of Jerusalem, which both Israel and the Palestinians claim as their capital. Both sides may balk at Washington's advice to jump right into the most difficult issues of a permanent settlement.