Road map for peace
The roadmap for peace or road map for peace (Hebrew: מפת הדרכים Mapa had'rakhim, Arabic: خارطة طريق السلام Khāriṭa ṭarīq as-salāmu) was a plan to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict proposed by the Quartet on the Middle East: the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations.
[4][5] Israel re-established its full exclusive military control over the West Bank, including Areas A and B, which were intended to be handed over to the Palestinian Authority within the framework of the Oslo II Accord.
This happened against the background of George W. Bush's "war on terror", which started after the 11 September 2001 attacks and dominated international politics.
[7] The EU pushed the Quartet to present the final text on 20 December 2002, but failed, due to Israeli opposition.
[8] Sharon pledged support for the Roadmap, provided the Palestinian state was restricted to 42% of the West Bank and 70% of the Gaza strip; and under full Israeli control.
On 12 May 2003, it was reported that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had stated that a settlement freeze, a main Road Map commitment, would be "impossible" due to the need to build new houses for settlers who start families.
Ariel Sharon asked, then US Secretary of State, Colin Powell "What do you want, for a pregnant woman to have an abortion just because she is a settler?".
The United States and Israel demanded that Arafat be neutralized or sidelined in the Roadmap process, claiming that he had not done enough to stop Palestinian attacks against Israelis while in charge.
Hamas rejected it, saying that "Abu Mazen is betraying the Palestinian people's struggle and jihad in order to appease the USA and to avoid angering Israel".
[citation needed] The Route 60 ambush took place on 20 June, as Secretary of State Colin Powell was in Jerusalem engaging in peace negotiations.
[20] President Bush visited the Middle East from 2 to 4 June 2003 for two summits as part of a seven-day overseas trip through Europe and Russia in an attempt to push the Roadmap.
[22][23] Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas announced a joint three-month cease-fire, while Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction declared a six-month truce.
On 1 July 2003, in Jerusalem, Sharon and Abbas held a first-ever ceremonial opening to peace talks, televised live in both Arabic and Hebrew.
At the same time, the U.S. announced a $30 million aid package to the Palestinian Authority to help rebuild infrastructure destroyed by Israeli incursions.
Shanab, who supported a two-state solution, strongly opposed suicide bombings and tried to uphold the ceasefire, was regarded as one of Hamas's more moderate and pragmatic leaders.
[29] On 14 April 2004, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon wrote a letter to US President George W. Bush, in which he reconfirmed his commitment to the Roadmap.
President Bush gave his support to the plan, calling it "a bold and historic initiative that can make an important contribution to peace".
He said "In light of new realities on the ground, including already existing major Israeli population centers, it is unrealistic that the outcome of final status negotiations will be a full and complete return to the armistice lines of 1949 ....
[33] In a 26 May 2005 joint press conference with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in the White House Rose Garden, President Bush said: "Any final status agreement must be reached between the two parties, and changes to the 1949 armistice lines must be mutually agreed to.
In October 2003, the Government declared that "Arafat is the main obstacle for any progress in the Middle East peace process."
[37] Although President Arafat had undertaken significant reform steps since May 2002, the process stalled from March 2003 due to both Israeli measures and internal political factors.
[41] Abbas was in a weak position, due to his failing to counter the Israelis, who refused to release prisoners and continued with the occupation of Palestinian cities, settlement activities, assassinations and incursions, and the maintenance of checkpoints.
An international task force concluded that only general elections could transform the political system, which, however, was impossible under the continued Israeli occupation.
[50][51] Israeli attacks were mainly concentrated on Palestinian security forces, even though Hamas was responsible for a majority of the bombings and shootings.
[58] According to Crooke, the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair played an important role in the development of a 2003 MI6 plan for a wide-ranging crackdown on Hamas.
[59][60] The aim was to stop violent attacks by Hamas, including suicide bombings and the firing of Qassam rockets on South Israel.
The document mentions the complaints of the international community about the IDF who destroyed new resources they provided to the Palestinian police force.
This report notes that the NSF (Palestinian National Security Forces), who were assumed to prevent terror, were denied by the Israelis equipment, ammunition en freedom of movement.
When the Olmert government started a major assault on Gaza in December 2008 to stop rocket fire into Israel,[66] dubbed Operation Cast Lead, the "peace process" completely collapsed.
The main issues remained: the permanent status of the occupied territories in the West Bank, the ongoing expansion of the settlements, Palestinian terrorism, and the final borders of Israel.
