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Show DAILY May 8, 2008 Thursday, Richard Boudreaux and Ashraf Khalil LOS ANGELES A3 Zoning proposal surfaces in West Bank Single-stat- e .... HERALD idea of sharing power with Palestinians; none has even offered such a plan. But a cole effort lapse of the would leave Israel in de facto control of a region where by the next generation, Jews will probably be in a minority. That scenario inspires Kawasmi, who recently ideal gave up on the and runs brainstorming workshops in the West Bank on single-stat- e proposals. Sooner or later, the former Palestinian Authority official TIMES - two-stat- JERUSALEM Frustrated by years of peace talks with Israel, Palestinians are losing hope for an independent homeland, and some are proposing a radically different cause: equal rights for Palestinians and Jews in a shared state. A "two-stat- e solution" has been the basis for n negotiations for nearly 15 years and remains the declared aim of both groups' highest elected leaders and the Bush administratioa But its advocates are increasingly on the defensive, and not just against militant Islamists and Jewish settlers who have long opposed partitioning the land. M ajorit ies on both sides dismiss the current peace talks as futile. And a small but growing number of moderate PalestMansconterrds that Israel's terms for independence offer less than they could gain in a single democratic state combining Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip. As a result, the 60th anniversary in May of Israel's birth is a time of insecurity and flux. Conventional wisdom about the formula for peace is being turned on its head. No Israeli leader accepts the Ha-ze- two-stat- Israeli-Palestinia- e predicts, the growing burden of occupation and threat of Islamic extremism would make Israelis receptive to the idea of a system that protects the rights of Jews. "Israel cannot be a dominating power forever," Kawasmi, 43, said in Ramallah, the West Bank's administrative center. "Time is on our side." Israel captured the West Bank and Gaza tnth&4967- Middle East War, but efforts to incorporate the territories by encouraging massive Jewish settlements fell short. It took a generation after the war for Israeli and secular Palestinian leaders to recognize each other and start discussing statehood for the occupied territories. The Palestinians' rethinking of that goal has been inf lu- enced by Hamas. Its ascen d long-standi- dancy has unnerved moderate Palestinians who don't want to be ruled by the militant Is- lamie group and made many in Israel, which Hamas refuses to formally recognize, more e accord. averse to a The near-dail-y rocket attacks from Gaza have turned Israel's : defense minister into a powerful critic of a peace process he once led. U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, struggling ' to propel peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority led by the secular Fatah movement, warned last week that the lack of progress was causing younger Palestinians to give up on the goal of an independent state. "Increasingly, the Palestine ians who talk about a solution are my age," said Rice, who is 53. The U. S. revived the peace ivember with the aim of an accord by the end of President Bush's term, but two-stat- Hamas-controlle- d Continued from A 1 tinians favor a single state. "The number of people who believe in two states for two peoples is decreasing, and that worries me," said Yasa Palestinian ser official involved in the talks. "And I'm talking about a circle of rational intellectuals, people with an open mind. On the e idea has street, the Abed-Rabb- two-stat- become a joke." Fatah's leadership has begun a quiet, informal debate over its options if talks for an independent state fail. The e proemergence of posals, said Kadura Fares, a member of Fatah's revolutionary council, are "a sign that the current strategy has been exhausted and it's time to rethink all our goals." Ali Jarbawi, an independent West Bank political scientist who advises the Palestinian leadership, has urged Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to resign and abolish the government, which would oblige Israel to take didisillusionment set in quickly. rect responsibility for managHebrew University and the ing the West Bank and Gaza Palestine Center for Policy and paying public employees. "I would say, 'Be my guest. and Survey Research reported s Continue your occupation. But of the Palthat estinians and just more than we're going to declare this is half the Israelis they polled in all one state and ask for equal March believe the talks serve rights. Are you going to be able to keep us under control no purpose and should be halted. Other polls show that for another 40 years?' " Jarat least all of Pales bawi said. . one-stat- two-stat- , three-fourth- one-fourt- h Bikes people to use a bicycle more often is by any bicycle anyone would want." Woods has been a member of Orem's allowing a ridenhancing convenience er to just get on and go quickly. .Bicycles Transportation Advisory Commission Continued from A 1 today have built-i- n features that eliminate since it was organized one year ago, and the need to wear a strap on the pant legs, he brings a bicyclist's perspective to the Woods said. "My daughter prefers the commission's deliberations. bakfiets to riding in a car. The bike is 8 which keep the pants from getting tan"Communities are not designed for feet long, and it takes some getting used gled in the drivetrain. New systems make bikes easier to lock. to, but it rides like a Cadillac. We have people they are designed for cars," he "Kevlar line tires are a must in my said. people stop and stare at us, and ask us The bicyclist believes that in some where we got it. ... People in south Orem opinion," Woods said, "They are made have probably seen us riding around in it. of the same type of material that bulletways, Orem is a community that is "perIt's everywhere!" proof vests are made of, and they virtual- fectly arranged" to be a bicycle-friendl-y The cost of a bakfiets is in the $3,000 ly eliminate flats from glass and puncture place, but it would help to have buildings close to the street, wide sidewalks, trees weeds. Any bike shop can help you with range, but Woods said a person would and street furniture (benches, art, comthe a tires." more or to small, $6,000 buy spend car. "Even buying a very Woods, who is the manager of Mad munity bulletin boards), narrow lanes with room for bicyclists, and "dramatiexpensive bike will pay for itself in short Dog Cycles on 800 South in Orem, said " recent- cally slower" speeds. there has been a definite order," he said. e bikes for commut"The difficulty is in the cars, high In addition to providing benefits such ly in sales of as a healthier lifestyle, bicycling allows ing and getting around town. Such bikes speeds, and people not paying attention d of total because of cell phones or the radio," now account for about a person to take life at a slower, more Woods said. "But it will take more than sales. The bikes have an upright riding relaxed pace, and to plan ahead, Woods a willingness of the City Council or the said. position and larger diameter tires, and are slightly wider for more cushion on "When you depend on a bicycle for Transportation Commission to make the road. They can have racks and fendchanges. transportation, you plan what you're ers installed on them racks to carry "People need to get out of their cars doing. You don't want to be going from and start walking, biking or taking the one side of town to another when you are items and fenders to better protect the bus. It will do a whole lot more for you expending your personal energy and you rider from wet weather. than make you feel good. It will make Preferences vary, but Woods said are the engine." there are many solutions, "for just about Woods believes that the way to get your community more friendly." and needed the city to change the zoning now so that he can begin to find financing for a future project, whatever that project may be. "It costs money to carry a million dollars' worth of real estate," he told council members. After the huge public outcry against the downtown plan at January's meeting, city officials convened a special commission of residents, called the Downtown Advisory Board, to take another look at the plan and come back with recommendations. On Tuesday, two members of that commission repeatedly asked the city to delay Spencer's request until the commission could complete its work in June. In the end, council members compromised, approving the zone change for Spencer with the stipulation that it would not go into affect until July 15. Tuesday's meeting was filled winrtension. Spencer told commissioners he had purposefully demanded the zone change before the advisory board could complete its work because he zone-chang- e wanted to "test" the city's support for his plans to revitalize the downtown area. Council members said they took offense at that. Advisory board member Robert Williams then told council members that "it would not have taken very many phone calls to fill this place with angry residents and just shut it down again. Let us do what you asked us to do." This also drew the ire of council members, who accused Williams of threatening them. Laurel Backman Riddle, chairwoman of the Downtown Advisory Board, told council members that the meeting was not filled with protesters, as was the meeting in January, because the public trusted that f ,f ?p " o the board was representing the public will and trusted the council to listen to the board. She also said it would have taken but a few phone calls to bring out the public in droves to oppose the zone change. She conceded to council members that the advisory hoard was likely to recom-men- d that the council rezone Spencer's land, but said it was too early to rezone because the city's ordinances need to be fixed first to better protect the public from unwanted development. After Tuesday's vote, Riddle said she felt pressured by the council's decision. She said the board had made a goal to finish its work by June 5, giving time for the Planning Commission and City Council to hold public hearings and vote on any recommendations from the board before the new zoning goes into affect on July 15. Tuesday's vote leaves little room for error or time for public debate, she said, but she believes that if the city accepts the recommendations the advisory board is now working on, and if the ed about how those recommendations will protect the public will, those who protested in January will be mollified. AS presented in January, the city's revitalization plan would buildy have permitted ings and allowed developers to seek taller buildings under special permits. Residents repeatedly said in January that developers, including Spencer, were waiting for approval of the plan so they can propose a building. The plan also would have potentially allowed Main Street to be closed from 100 North to Center Street, and 100 South to be closed from Main Street to 100 East. In addition, Main Street would potentially y have become a street from Center Street to 200 South, and 100 South could y be made from Main Street to 100 West. five-stor- ry one-wa- one-wa- .4 f 8 Jfc. n mm 0 t- k .- "- i i. ' i it i & & " 1 ? r "up-tick- Check The Daily Herald city-typ- one-thir- Midtown Continued from A I official, said a Kneaders Bakery franchise, which at one point was planning on moving into the south tower, has never applied for a business permit. A title company that had set up shop in the south tower has since moved out, he said. And though Hale Center Theater Orem had wanted to have its new theater constructed at Midtown Village in time to debut the new facility with "A Christmas Carol" in December, those plans are in an indefinite holding pattern. Cody Swenson, a of Hale Center Theater Orem, said the plug hasn't been pulled "We're halted right along with them and waiting for them to get a refinance." Cody Swenson Hale Center Theater Orem on the new theater project, but the work stoppage on the site directly affects them. Plans call for the new theater to be built on the development's southwest corner. There was for the a ground-breakin- g project in November, just prior to the economy beginning to tank. "We're halted right along with them and waiting for them to get a refinance and get back to work," he said. "At this point, we're still committed to it." Myler said Wednesday that Midtown's financial situation remains unchanged since early March and that he is still waiting for the refinance to be approved. He acknowledged that some businesses, including elsewhere. "We hope they come," Myler said. " 'How long is the economy going to stay bad?' is the question." 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