From the beginning, the Bush administration calculated that one of the side-benefits of a decisive U.S. victory over Iraq would be an increase in clout over the entire region, and that could help bring a solution to the out-of-control violence between Israel and the Palestinians. At the moment, that calculation appears to have been good.
Look at all that has happened in recent days. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and new Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas met, albeit briefly, earlier this month and are planning to meet again soon to discuss substantive issues. And earlier this week, Sharon actually referred to the relationship between Israel and the Palestinians as an "occupation," a term that earlier would have been considered unthinkable for Sharon, a hawk.
Utahns have a stake in these issues. Travel and tourism between this state and Israel was heavy before the most recent spate of violence began, and Brigham Young University's Jerusalem Center has been sitting empty, awaiting a more peaceful time before it accepts new students.
The most recent developments would have been unlikely without a U.S. victory in Iraq. The added U.S. prestige has made Sharon more receptive to pressure from the Bush administration, and the United States has everything to gain in the Arab world by showing it is willing to aggressively pursue the peaceful establishment of a Palestinian state.
All this is good news, but it must be handled carefully. Not all parties to the Israeli-Palestinian issue will be so impressed by U.S. pressure.
Yasser Arafat, for one, is pushing hard to make sure that he, and not Abbas, is the negotiator who should meet with Sharon. The United States should do all it can to resist this power play. Arafat had his chance to work for peace, and he blew it. His record is one of taking negotiations to the edge of success with no ability, or will, to bring about a successful conclusion. He allowed Abbas to become prime minister under international pressure. Now, he must be pressured into allowing Abbas to negotiate.
The other issue is the continuation of violence. Terrorists will do all they can to scuttle peace. They have proven to be quite successful at this in the past. The first phase of the Bush administration's peace plan calls for the Palestinian leadership to crack down on violence and for Israel to withdraw its military and freeze all new settlements within Palestinian areas. This is to happen immediately, but it won't be easy.
Impressive as it was, success in Iraq did little more than open doors. While those doors had been shut tightly, the difficult work still lies ahead, and it will require considerable skill and diplomacy, as well as a will to succeed, on all sides.