Quid Pro Quo Sharon seeks a trade from Bush: Israeli restraint for U.S. coordination. LESLIE SUSSER Jewish Telegraphic Agency Jerusalem T while holding out the promise of Palestinian state- hood in three years if they did so. Now, with Israeli troops again occupying Palestinian cities, towns and villages, both the Americans and British have taken up the Palestinian humanitarian case. The primary impetus no doubt is concern for Palestinian suffering. But the pressure also is intend- ed to signal to the Palestinians that the United States and Britain are sensitive to their needs and can cre- ate conditions conducive to political negotiation. The latest directive from Washington to ease con- ditions in the Palestinian territories, delivered by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer, was couched in exceptionally blunt lan- guage. Sharon was accused of failing to keep his promises to-ease the plight of the Palestinian population and the Israeli army was accused of ignoring settler violence against Palestinians. In a private conversation with the Israeli general in charge of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, British Ambassador to Israel Sherard Cowper-Coles was even more blunt: Israel was in danger of turning the terri- he first shot has yet to be fired in the anticipated American-led war against Iraq, but diplomats already are preparing for a concerted effort to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as soon as it's over. The "Quartet," made up of the United States, European Union, Russia and the United Nations, is refining ideas for a political road map to be presented to Israel and the Palestinians when America's business with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is finished. Such efforts formed the subtext to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's meeting with Double Sacrifice President Bush in Washington this week. Indeed, Sharon is worried about the international The Bush administration is exerting tremendous community trying to move too early and too fast on pressure on Israel to take a low profile in a war with the Palestinian track. He fears Israel's interests may Iraq, even if Israel is attacked. be sacrificed both before an attack on Iraq — as Recent statements that Israel must defend itself from America tries to build an international coalition — Iraq may be cover for what Sharon hopes to extract in and after the attack as America tries to rebuild Washington: an American commitment to coordinate strained ties with the Arab world. post-Iraq policy on the Palestinian issue with Israel. Therefore, Sharon sees the main goal of Both the United States and Britain have Israeli diplomacy as coordinating with the assured Israel that there will be no "imposed United States what policy on the settlement" of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestinians will be after a war on Iraq. Sharon, however, fears a situation in which 9 Before he left for his meeting in the powers don't formally impose anything Washington, Sharon made sure that arrange- but exert enormous pressure on Israel to make ments had been made to hand over frozen compromises it finds untenable. Palestinian tax money and that the process In broad outline, the Quartet-envisions a of removing illegal settlement outposts in three-year process with steps happening in the West Bank had begun. Pundits saw this sequence: as an attempt to convince the international • a general cease-fire; community that Israel was ready to make • an Israeli withdrawal to positions held constructive moves on the Palestinian track before the Palestinian intifada (uprising) and ease Palestinian suffering. began two years ago; At the same time, however, Sharon issued • a further Israeli withdrawal from the West tough public statements about Israel's readi- Bank and Gaza Strip; President Bush welcomes Isralei Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to the ness to defend itself if attacked by Iraq. • the establishment of a Palestinian mini- White House on June 10 in Washington. Sharon knows very well the United States state under an international protectorate for wants Israel to stay out of the war, and pun- Palestine; and dits say his public statements were intended to tories into the "largest detention camp in the world." • talks on final borders, Jerusalem, refugees and raise the price for Israel's compliance. Cowper-Coles is one of the more outspoken advo- the transition to full Palestinian independence. Sharon also wants to clarify the circumstances in cates of an international protectorate transition British Prime Minister Tony Blair already has which Israel would receive a green light from the stage. It would help separate Israeli and Palestinian called for an international conference whose agenda Americans to retaliate against Iraq — for example, forces, keep a lid on Palestinian terror, restore would, to a large extent, be governed by those ideas. if it was attacked with nonconventional weapons or Palestinian civilian life, rebuild Palestinian civil soci- suffered massive casualties. ety and create functioning institutions, he argues. Sharon especially wants to make sure the United In an interview, he emphasized the need to build Two-Sided States will stick to Bush's demands for thorough an efficient Palestinian security force that would For months, the United States and other members reform of Palestinian Authority institutions and the give Israel the confidence to withdraw from territo- of the'Quartet have been trying to find a way to election of new leaders not compromised by terror. ry it has taken in response to Palestinian violence. back Israel's struggle against Palestinian terrorism Only then, in Sharon's view, can serious negotia- "I agree if Israel pulls out of the territories there while, at the same time, giving the Palestinians hope and he tions on Palestinian statehood begin is a risk of terrorism flaring up again," Cowper- for a better future. hopes prior coordination with the Bush adminis- Coles said. "The only way to give Israel the confi- In his watershed June 24 speech, Bush tried to tration will help avoid future misunderstandings on dence it needs to pull back is for there to be some square the circle by calling on the Palestinians to that score. ❑ sort of international supervision of Palestinian elect new leaders not associated with terrorism, ANA LYSIS , ITN 10/18 2002 30 security forces as they reform and get a grip on security. It's unlikely that the Palestinians would be able to do it themselves or that Israel would have confidence in them doing it themselves." Britain would be willing to provide monitors, observers and trainers, Cowper-Coles said. The United States and France have said they would be willing to do the same. Sharon, however, is firmly opposed to the protec- torate idea. He argues that there is too much potential for friction between Israel and the inter- national force, which he believes would not be able to halt Palestinian terror attacks but would impede Israeli efforts to retaliate.