U.S. can't walk away from its role, By Wesley Clark [View All]

[BushCutters]

As a cadet at West Point, I learned that a state cannot survive for long unless it alone controls the use of force. The story that most vividly illustrates this point started back in 1948. It is the story of the State of Israel.

CUT

Currently, Israel is building a security fence - not because it wants to, but because terrorism has forced its hand. The fence is not a barrier to the peace process. No country can negotiate if the other side believes it has no alternatives. The fence will help contain the terrorist onslaught. It will warn other parties in the Middle East that they need to start negotiating - now. But it is not a sustainable substitute for peace. A strong, democratic Israel is the key to the future of the Middle East.

CUT

Leading a real peace process is a responsibility the United States cannot walk away from - and it is a responsibility that starts in the White House. Negotiations must proceed along a multifaceted track. The Israeli government should not be forced to make further territorial concessions until the Palestinian Authority acts decisively to dismantle terrorism. But to get negotiations back on track, the next administration must make peace for Israel one of its top priorities.

Other states must do their part, too. Currently, Palestinian militants are aided and Palestinian civilians are used by regional powers that stoke the violence to vent their own domestic tensions. That has to stop, and we have to stop it. Road maps to peace cannot be successful when others impose roadblocks. We must use every available tool to ensure that the governments of Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon and others are facilitating rather than obstructing the peace process.


http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/358806.html