REASON FOR CHEER IN THE MIDEAST

 Editorial de  “The New York Times” del 09/02/2005

Por su interés y relevancia, he seleccionado el editorial que sigue para incluirlo en este sitio web. (L. B.-B.)

There's much to be happy about after yesterday's Middle East summit meeting in Sharm el Sheik in Egypt. For starters, Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas actually met, which is no small thing. They agreed to a truce, and to meet again soon. And Egypt and Jordan said they would return their ambassadors to Israel after a four-year absence.

It's too early to tell if all this good will is just battle fatigue, or a new phase in a conflict that has led to so much blood and tears. Many will argue that the summit meeting was just a pause in hostilities while both sides regroup, and that yesterday's truce announcement will go the way of so many others. But if the Israeli and Palestinian people are ever to have peace, they've got to start somewhere, and Sharm el Sheik seems as good a place as any.

Now both sides have some adjustments to make. The Israelis must be demanding, realistic and smart. They must be demanding in continuing to push Mr. Abbas to crack down on the killers who have used Israeli civilians for target practice, to punish those who orchestrate suicide bombings and to destroy bomb and rocket factories. They must be realistic in understanding that Mr. Abbas has been in office for less than a month, that he doesn't command the blind devotion that Mr. Arafat did and that he may need time to put the muddled affairs of the Palestinian Authority in order. And, finally, the Israelis must be smart by strengthening the hand of Mr. Abbas by moving quickly on freezing any further settlement activity and removing some of the onerous checkpoints that make it impossible for Palestinians to move around.

Mr. Abbas, for his part, must know by now that saying the right things at summit meetings won't be enough. He must tackle, without delay, the difficult problem of making that truce stick, and he must punish those who violate it. That means figuring out a way to take on Hamas, Islamic Jihad and, from his own Fatah party, Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades.

Yesterday was a welcome step. If peace is the destination, it's a road worth traveling.