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First Impressions
"Virtual" accord is gaining real support
in Washington.
RON KAMPEAS
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Washington
or a peace agreement that
even its framers admit is
"virtual," the "Geneva
Accord" is getting plenty of
real traction in Washington and
among American Jews.
Leaders of the Conservative,
Reform and Reconstructionist move-
ments joined Muslim and Christian
groups in an interfaith appeal on Dec.
2 urging the Bush administration to
rededicate itself to Israeli-Palestinian
peace, citing the Geneva proposal as
one model.
The two lead negotiators of the
unofficial peace proposal, Palestinian
official Yasser Abed Rabbo and Israeli
opposition figure Yossi Beilin, will
hold back-to-back meetings Dec. 5
with U.S. Secretary of State Colin
Powell and Paul Wolfowitz, the U.S.
deputy secretary of defense.
Considering that Wolfowitz and
Powell usually are at odds on matters
of foreign policy, the meetings are a
sign of the administration's encourage-
ment of the Geneva Accord.
It's a trend that clearly has Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's govern-
ment worried. Israeli officials were
lobbying hard against the meetings.
Deputy Prime Minister Ehud
Olmert questioned Powell's judge-
ment, calling the meeting with Beilin
and Abed Rabbo a "mistake." In
response, U.S. officials say they
remain committed to the internation-
ally-backed road map peace plan,
which envisions an end to terrorism
and a Palestinian state within three
years. Israeli officials say they were
reassured by that message.
"Even though the Americans are
encouraging Israelis and Palestinians
to discuss and look for creative alter-
natives, the only policy that has been
endorsed is the road map," Israeli
Embassy spokesman Mark Regev said.
The road map is stalled however,
and American Jewish officials say
Israel's best chance at undercutting
the Geneva proposal is if current
efforts to revive the road map succeed.
"It's hard to complain about people
talking about peace when there's not
much else out there," said one
American Jewish official.
Counter Moves
American sponsors of Beilin and Abed
Rabbo's visit to Washington and New
York this week said the duo's sudden
popularity had come as a pleasant sur-
prise. Together with criticism of
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"I call upon every Jew in the world to
plant a tree in the land of Israel dur-
ing the coming year I would like to
see 13 or 14 million new trees plant-
ed in Israel exactly one year from
now, on the anniversary of the
launching."
—Ilan Ramon
To plant a tree in Israel
in honor of Ilan Ramon and
his fellow astronauts, go to
www.jewish.com .
Click on Donations to Israel.
Above: Principal Palestinian negotiator
Yasser Abed Rabbo.
Left: Israeli politician and main Israeli
architect for the Geneva Accord, Yossi
Beilin.