Throughout the weeks Israelis and Palestinians negotiated over Gaza borders, we wondered how the media might spin a breakthrough in talks. Now that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has brokered a deal, the Washington Post weighs in—inaccurately:
Needed months ago, the accord was stalled by eruptions of violence, domestic political complications on both sides, and the mutual distrust of Israeli and Palestinian leaders: Each side suspects that the other is not willing or able to follow President Bush’s “road map” for a negotiated two-state settlement. By clinching the deal, Ms. Rice preserved the possibility that Mr. Bush’s plan could still go forward.
The disengagement was actually a unilateral act outside the auspices of the road map because then PA chairman Yasser Arafat had made himself an obstacle to peace. Leaving Gaza and opening the borders doesn’t absolve the Palestinian Authority of closing down the terror organizations. In fact, phase one of the road map specifically calls on the PA to fight terror first. Yet the Post says that fighting terror and scaling back West Bank settlements are simultaneous:
To her credit, Ms. Rice doggedly pressed Mr. Abbas to take a firmer stance against militants and Mr. Sharon to stop expanding Israel’s West Bank settlements. Those are supposed to be among the first steps in the road map; making them happen would take a good deal more of the midnight oil that the secretary of state burned this week.
As long as the PA fails to clamp down on terror, the road map itself remains stuck. The Post’s invention of a dual track opens the door to blame Israel for the road map’s lack of progress.
