0 Ilion Editorials are posted and archived on JN Online: www.cletroitjewishnews.com Dry Bones Questions For The Quartet T he last three weeks have seen the effective shredding of the Mideast peace road map that was put together by the international Quartet of the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations. The renewal of Palestinian terrorism and of a strong Israeli military response may taper off in the coming weeks, but the road map itself seems unlikely to remain as even a tentative guide to a less-violent future. That failure should encourage the Quartet mem- bers to think a bit more deeply about why the plan has come apart at its seams and what portion of blame they should assume. To help with that process, here are a few questions that each entity could profitably mull: • Does President Vladimir Putin still think Russia did the right thing in staying so totally silent about the fate of the plan that it nom- inally helped to draft? Could it have leaned more heavily on its nominal allies such as Egypt to play an active role in criticizing the Palestinian terrorists? What lessons has Russia learned from its own inabili- ty to cope with its Chechen terrorists and how would it apply those lessons to Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades? Why, in fact, is Russia so supportive of a separate state for the Palestinians, but not for the Chechen minority? • On this side of the Atlantic, how does the State Department assess the 21 deaths in the Aug. 19 bombing of a Jerusalem bus, and does it now under- stand how correct Israel has been in its warnings that the terror groups were simply using the cease-fire period to re-arm? Why does President George W. Bush think that freezing the trivially small assets in America of some Hamas leaders and supporting groups is anything more than a symbolic slap on the wrist that is likely to provoke more jeers rather than compliance with the pledge to end the violence? Is there any realization that Washington should with- draw all support for Palestinian statehood until after Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat dis- SOUNDS LIKE arms and imprisons the terrorist Is cadres? coNDUCTIQG • And in the capitals of Europe, NeGaTi AliogS who will now acknowledge that they have been foolish in their continued coddling of a corrupt and ineffective v\ODPA ?. Palestinian leadership? Is the European Union ready to admit that No its embrace of the anti-Zionists is RuDNA! effectively an endorsement of the con- tinent's long and bloody history of anti-Semitism? Will any European leader make a real effort to crack down on the flow of mil- lions of dollars that goes to rACTUAbbY bomb and rocket factories ritfl. rather than to the HE'S POTTING REAL WIN13C-g'. Palestinian needy? Or will they con- 0 A PUPPET FoputAR tinue to wait until the suicide bombers murder children in Paris and Zurich and Amsterdam? • The toughest questions, however, should be asked of and at the United Nations, which lost 23 of its employ- ees to a suicide truck bomber in Baghdad on the same day as the bus 0 attack in Jerusalem. No entity has done more than the U.N. to allow the )CLAP Arab states to prolong the violence in CLAPCt,ttP the Middle East. Its decision to treat Palestinians as a special class of refugees — encouraged to remain in last three years? Could the U.N. now acknowledge limbo rather than being absorbed into Lebanon and that its "Zionism is racism" resolution and all its Syria and Jordan and Egypt as other groups of spawn are lunacy that encourage Arab resentment of refugees have been absorbed into other countries after Israel's legitimacy and undercut any permanent peace? a war — has caused incalculable misery on both sides Until the Quartet members face up honestly to the of the Green Line. questions about themselves, they will never be able to Can Secretary-General Kofi Annan explain why ter- understand why their road map points to a dead-end rorism against his workers is different from and more rather than a safe destination. ❑ reprehensible than the kind aimed at Israel over the Embracing Israel the land of our forebears in other meaningful ways. Others, however, accept the challenge of reaching out by going there when Israelis need us most. So it is that at least 536 metro Detroiters have felt the urge and have signed up for Federation's Michigan Miracle Mission 4 to Israel, April 18-28, 2004. The Michigan Board of Rabbis and the Detroit Jewish News are co-sponsoring the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit-organized mis- sion. We know the risk, but we know the intense pre- cautions being taken and that security won't be compromised. And we're ready to begin orientation sessions that will culminate in our coming together overlooking Yerushalayim — the City of Peace (Ir Shalom) that King David proclaimed the eternal capital of Israel 3,000 years ago. During the mission, we'll embrace our brethren and let them know how much we respect their put- ting their lives on the line to keep Israel from falling E 6.0 EDIT ORIAL e hear a lot about how Israelis need us, Jews of the diaspora, during this espe- cially trying time in their tumultuous 55-year history. And they do. They need our companionship, our emotional support and the lift we can bring to a once-thriving economy devastated by 35 months of Palestinian terror. It's hard to describe the immense personal connection they feel when Jews from elsewhere put their commitment to the Jewish state before safety concerns. Terrorism has claimed at least 848 Israeli and for- eign lives since this latest round began nearly three years ago. Jews in the diaspora know that. Some choose not to go to Israel as a result, but support Smoui EDIT ORIAL Learn about mission recruitment: page 14 oVER - n- k woRidD ALL into Arab control, the ultimate goal of those aligned with terror mastermind Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader. But make no mistake: We need Israel as much as Israelis need us. The richly Jewish moments we enjoy in our homes and synagogues can't possibly be the same as engaging in praying or just breathing the air in the land we as a people were exiled from almost 1,900 years ago. We need Israel to re-energize us and to teach us — and to let us know, in a very personal way, that it's ours for yet another day. Against the backdrop of Mideast unrest and oh- so-shaky peace talks, this fourth Miracle Mission will be like no other. It may well prove to be the most important — and most compelling. Take it from mission director Sally Krugel: "We are committed to this mission. We know people have been waiting too long. It is time. Our pitch is, `It's a go.' For all those with whom this resonates, we are planning the best trip ever." ❑ 8/29 2003 25