The Road Map After Gaza

Dennis Ross is one of those rare foreign policy experts that has the ear of leaders of both parties. Here are is an excerpt of what Amb. Ross says W needs to do to ensure the Road Map to Peace in Israel:

First, the administration must be the spearhead for getting international pledges of assistance transformed into labor-intensive projects on the ground. To date, billions have been pledged, but little has been delivered and Palestinians are not going back to work. With the Israelis out, expectations of the Palestinian public will be high and Abbas must be seen as producing very quickly on jobs in Gaza.

Second, the administration working with the European Union and World Bank should help the Palestinian Authority function more effectively. Abbas inherited Yasser Arafat's system of corruption and ineptitude. He needs systematic help to build his administrative capacity, with specific goals, monitoring, and evaluation established.

Third, the key to Gaza's economy is having unencumbered access to the outside world and the West Bank for themovement of people and goods. That will only happen if Israel is satisfied with the security arrangements to prevent smuggling of weapons and infiltration of terrorist operatives. But the security-for-access arrangements are not yet agreed. While Jim Wolfensohn, the administration's envoy for disengagement, is likely to help forge such arrangements, they will be complicated and are certain to break down. To avoid shutdowns of access and the resulting sourness, Wolfensohn must have the mandate to put in place credible dispute resolution and enforcement mechanisms at each passage and crossing point.

Fourth, the administration must build a bridge to the future. The two sides have very different expectations on what will happen after disengagement: Sharon wants a pause to absorb the emotional trauma and Abbas wants next steps. Each needs an explanation for what is next. The administration should declare that it will take the moribund roadmap and negotiate a common understanding on every Israeli and Palestinian obligation. It won't be easy and will take time. It will take the kind of mediation that the administration has avoided until now.

But Gaza disengagement creates an opening, and it will close for Sharon and Abbas unless the administration recognizes where we are and what is now necessary.