inion Editorials are posted and archived on JN Online: www.detroitjewishnews.com Dry Bones Keep The Map In the Glove Box he Bush Administration is wise to resist the growing international pressure for it to issue its "road map" for peace between Israel, the Palestinians and the rest of the Arab world. With a military action against Iraq likely, the White House must be tempted to think about placating the Arab world by endorsing actions that would pressure Israel to make premature con- cessions toward recognizing a permanent Palestinian state. But no tolerable amount of bribery is going to produce real Arab allies for an armed strike against Saddam Hussein, and thrusting the "road map" directly into the Israeli election mix is likely to deepen that nation's divisions on the most effective steps it can take to assure its security. The details of the "road map" that have been leaked so far suggest it offers no particular exciting break-through in thinking about the long-term needs of Israel and the Palestinians. For all practi- cal purposes, the two-state solution was adopted in the Oslo peace accords a - decade ago. The world has no great need for another Arab state, but Jordan has never wanted to adopt the Palestinians within their nation and the unremitting violence and hatred of the last 27 months has made it plain that Israel must never accept them as citizens of the Jewish state. Thus having the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia promul- gate a plan for a Palestine does not chart a new course so much as affirm the current thinking about what each side must do to get there. And what has been said about the plan suggests it does nothing to compel Arab states to guarantee Israel's right to exist. The plan tasks the Palestinians with trying to - shut down forces like Islamic Jihad, Hamas and the Al Aksa Martyrs Brigade of Fatah, but does not T seem to deny them statehood when they fail to meet that chal- lenge. Nor does it seem to absolutely rule out a continuing leadership role for Yasser Arafat, saying only that the new state should have a prime minister with real executive authority. It reasonably calls on Israel to dismantle any settlements that have gone up in the last two years, but it also requires the Israel Defense Forces to get out of the West Bank and Gaza cities where they have been operating to good effect in recent weeks. If the Quartet of world powers were to push for that before Israel's Jan. _28 elec- tions, it could force Ariel Sharon and Likud to disavow the whole plan or risk being seen by the vot- ers as too willing to sacrifice Israel's clear interests in stopping the ter- ror now Labor, of course, has already foolishly said it is prepared to resume negotiations with the Palestinians and would get the troops out because they won't be needed to protect settlements. The "road map" already suffers from credibility problems. Its timetable for actions — an interim Palestinian state next year, an end to the terror, a permanent new state in 2005 — rests on no known history of any agreements in this part of the world having been carried out on time. And its demands that Israel accept Palestinian promises without real verification reflect wishful thinking rather than clear-eyed his- rsptv?)0G 7- 14Ar 1 THIS is 2003 MAKES ME FEEL LIKE • r LIKE soum)s WE'R E IN -Me PAST ?./ 7,. torical understanding of the continuing Arab hatred of "the Zionist entity." So letting the "road map" restfor another month seems the wise course. Let Israeli voters first deter- mine what course they want to follow, then adapt the road map to help get to that destination. ❑ A View From Above omething special always happens when one fulfills a mitzvah_— the doer of good deeds comes away with more satisfaction than the grateful recipient. That lesson was learned again on Dec. 25, when more than 900 Jewish Detroiters participated in Mitzvah Day, visiting nursing homes, hospitals and shut-ins, and working at food banks, soup kitchens and other facilities for the poor and the homeless. The annual program began years ago at Temple Beth El. The men's club of Congregation Shaarey Zedek then began their own Dec. 25 project. In recent years, with the organizational skills of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, the idea has grown into a community-wide event. Gaining a few hours' sleep and a day of relax- ation is enticing each Dec. 25 as the country shuts down for the Christmas holiday. But after a while, the day becomes boring for non-Christians — too much television and too much inaction. Mitzvah Day puts a spring in every vol- unteer's step and a smile on every partici- pant's face. It's a wonderful way to make the world a tiny bit better place, and for individuals to rediscover the joy of aiding another human being. Let's remember the lesson next December when Federation again puts out the call for Mitzvah Day volunteers. In helping others, we are indeed helping ourselves. EDITORIAL Related story: page 26 4 • • NaiS OF 1-IE GooRt.1) tou(D6- HOW LIAR Mitzvah Benefits s FUTURE es7 EDITORIAL r LIviNG IN - ME ❑ n less than two weeks, the first Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon, is scheduled to roar into space as a member of the crew of the space shuttle Columbia. He plans to take with him a picture that was drawn by a Holocaust victim, Peter Ginz, in which the 14- year-old envisioned what the Earth might look like as seen from the moon. At that distance, all the hor- rors that humanity has conjured up to divide itself from itself, like the endless slaughter of innocents, simply disappear. It is a heartening vision for the secular new year that has just begun. As Ramon looks down in wonder and awe, we should be looking up, with equal excitement and hope for a better year for everyone. ❑ I EDITORIAL 1/ 3 2003 21