We have a role to play. President Bush said during the campaign that the Clinton administration was too eager to push its own timetable for peace and was not willing to let the Israelis and Palestinians work out their own. Bush's advisers indicated that the new administration would be less likely to plunge into the nitty-gritty of negotiating details. No U.S. diplomats attended the most recent round of Israeli-Palestinian talks held in Egypt. But experts in the United States expect this arms-length approach to last only until the first new outburst of violence erupts.
Oil prices are crucial.
Pro-Arab groups, while sharply critical of Sharon, expect his victory to open the door to improved relations between Washington and the Palestinians. Over the past two decades, Washington has tended to look more favorably toward Israeli Labor Party leaders, because they tend to be more supportive of peace efforts, and has been tougher toward Likud leaders, who emphasize security first, negotiations second. U.S. Arab groups complained that President Bill Clinton, with his close ties to defeated Prime Minister Ehud Barak, tilted toward Israel and tended to scold Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat for failing to compromise. Now, Arab groups say, the Palestinian positions may get a fairer hearing in Washington. Already there are signs of a shift.