International Relations committee —
are leading a delegation to the region
this week with the goal of prodding the
sides forward.
"The confluence of events creates an
opportunity for the United States to
bring some order where order does not
exist and bring some hope where hope is
limited, both to the Israelis and to the
Palestinians," Wexler said. "We're going
to say for the umpteenth time that the
Palestinians have an opportunity to
advance their aspirations and dreams,
and for the first time we hope they
choose a peaceful path rather than a vio-
lent one."
But Ros-Lehtinen painted a different
picture in Jerusalem: "We've got a lot to
do in Iraq still and Afghanistan, and I
don't see President Bush nosediving into
the peace process anytime soon."

Renewed Vision

Bush's recent emphasis on Palestinian
statehood was prompted in part by pre-
election remarks by Ariel Sharon's top
adviser, Dov Weisglass, who told
Ha'aretz that Sharon's plan to unilaterally
leave the Gaza Strip would satisfy the
Americans for now and would quash the
prospect of statehood until the
Palestinians have a more reliable leader-
ship. Bush administration officials were
furious over the remarks, and Sharon
quickly backtracked.
Now that the election has passed, the
administration is making it clear that it
wants the Gaza pullout to go ahead —
as a first step toward Palestinian state-
hood, not as an end in itself "We see
the Israeli disengagement plan from
Gaza and from some of the settlements
on the West Bank as being a step that
can lead us in that direction," said
Boucher, State Department spokesman.
If it shows signs of movement, such a
step-by-step approach might help Bush
forge the alliances he needs in the region
to assert control in Iraq and to roll back
the growing influence of Iran.
Marwan Bishara, a Palestinian analyst
based in Paris, said the key to success in
the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was to
enlist regional help and avoid the grand
promises of sweeping Arab reform that
characterized Bush's first term.
"You will need a president who will
not raise hopes in order to crush them,"
Bishara said.

JTA Correspondent Dina Kraft
contributed to this story from Jerusalem.

For related stories, see page 30

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