Show 10A Sunday March 31 World 2002 Standard-Examine- r Mideast a continuing policy thicket for Bush advisers America’s standing in region depends on success of peace Ttie Washington Post TT ll 7"ashingtonin Even its earliest weeks the Bush administration signaled it had no intention to take a hand m the difficult details of Middle East peacemaking Bush’s national security team decided in the days after inauguration not to send an American envoy to Taba h Egypt for peace talks before the election of hard-line- r Ariel Sharon as Israeli prime minister And as violence mounted - though those early months of the Palestinian uprising were mild compared to today’s relentless bloodletting - the White House tarried in announcing whether it would assemble a new Middle East peace team In the following weeks the administration pulled the e plug on the CIA’s role as a broker between Israeli and Palestinian last-ditc- high-profil- security services setting a pattern of sporadic and superficial American engagement A dizzying descent Now in its second year the policy of leaving the Middle East conflict largely to the two sides has failed to stem the dizzying descent of the peace process and with it American standing m the region A Palestinian suicide bombing that killed 22 people as they sat down for a traditional Passover seder shattered what few American hopes remained for a And brokered cease-fir- e Sharon’s declaration this week that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is the “enemy1 coupled with Israel’s storming of his West Bank headquarters threatened to bring down Arafat’s Palestinian Authority and with it the entire Oslo peace process endorsed by the United States nine years ago The latest violence has snuffed out the modest hope offered by a watershed Arab League summit that last week held out the possibility of recognizing Israel US allies in the Arab world embittered by American backing for the Israeli crackdown are more adamently opposed than ever to the administration’s plan for a new confrontation with officials have focused their rhetoric and energy almost exclusively on satisfying Israel’s demands for improved security They have not pressed Israel to offer the Palestinians any immediate benefits such as a freeze on the construction of Jewish settlements that could provide Arafat with political cover to tackle militant groups among his people A cautious Powell Certainly there are several policymakers who have pressed for broader and more vigorous American involvement particularly officials in the State Department’s Near Eastern Affairs bureau headed by Assistant Secretary William Burns and policy planning office headed by Richard Haass But Secretary of State Colin Powell has displayed a characteristic caution preferring not to become too Iraq venture “He can’t afford to expose himself and get too far out front and risk failing His adversaries will take advantage of that He’re really reluctant to try” said a former administration official Some of those adversaries are in the White House and Pentagon where senior officials have grave reservations about heightened involvement in the Middle East especially if it means crossing Sharon Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld have make clear their distaste for dealing with the Palestinians Several of Arafat’s sharpest critics in Washington are on their staffs including Douglas Feith undersecretary of defense for policy and John Hannah Cheney’s chief Middle East adviser The Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot reported in February that Cheney himself told visiting Defense Minister Benjamin that Arafat could “hang” himself as far as the vice president was Ben-Eliez- er concerned With the Palestinian leader deemed untrustworthy this camp sees little margin in muscling the two sides back to the negotiating table “The easiest thing is to do nothing and let Sharon take care of the problem” said Edward S Walker Jr former assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs Bush’s chief political adviser Karl Rove is wary of confronting Sharon knowing the domestic risks that would pose for the president with Israel’s supporters National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice has slowly warmed toward greater engagement in the region according to sources familiar with White House discussions But the NSC has been without a senior director to monitor the Arab-Israeconflict full time since early winter Underpinning the Bush policy is a contempt for President Clinton Since the ' administration’s opening days senior officials and their allies outside government have quietly but clearly stated their claim that n Clinton’s involvement in peacemaking especially at the July 2000 Camp David summit is responsible for the current Middle East breakdown A family source said Bush speaks almost every day with his father who as president became deeply involved in Middle East negotiations sponsoring the Madrid peace conference during his tenure li ego-drive- over-ambitio- - See StandardNet The costs have been high for the United States But worried that the costs of engagement might be higher senior Bush officials have logged many hours over the last year deciding to do very little The result is a policy that is grudging at best This is Bright Smile You Dream Of! PROFESSIONAL RESULTS AT A FRACTION OF THE COST! underscored by the administration’s wavering commitment to the mission of its special off-agai- for more For the White fern clouds some rain bul mosllii sunmi H costs High deeply invested in a doubtful (Reg $129) n Middle East envoy Anthony Zinni and Vice President Dick Cheney’s decision not to schedule a single meeting with the Palestinians during his 11 country trip of the Middle East this month When the United States has been engaged moreover Call Today! 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