The Road Map - Where Does the Road Lead?
by Israel HighWay Staff

After the death of the Oslo peace process in 2000 and several other peace understandings or agreements fell by the wayside, the "Road Map" to peace was born in April 2003. Its official title is: 'A Performance-Based Roadmap to a Permanent Two-State Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.'

As defined by a State Department spokesperson, "The Road Map is a performance-based and goal-driven process with clear phases, timelines, target dates, and benchmarks aiming at progress through reciprocal steps by the two parties in the political, security, economic, humanitarian, and institution-building fields, under the auspices of 'the Quartet' [the United States, European Union, United Nations, and Russia]. The Road Map's destination is a final and comprehensive settlement of the Israel-Palestinian conflict by 2005."

That target date is now considered very unlikely, with President Bush even suggesting the emergence of a Palestinian state by 2009.

As opposed to past agreements, the "performance-based" Road Map means that both sides must carry out what is asked of them. The idea of "reciprocity" is carefully ingrained into the wording; Palestinians have their obligations and so do the Israelis.

What is so different and unique about the Road Map and how will it change the situation? Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, the Road Map - as defined by American policy makers - makes it clear that the onus for the violence rests on the Palestinian side, and therefore calls on the Palestinians to immediately undertake an unconditional cessation of violence. There is also a call for Israel to undertake supportive measures, but it is also clear that these can only be undertaken after the cessation of terrorism and violence.

In the past Israel has felt that there was little pressure on the Palestinians to fulfill what was expected of them in the peace process. Israel still worries that three of the Road Map's signers - the UN, the European Union and Russia (all strongly pro-Palestinian) - will pressure Israel but not the Palestinian Authority to live up to its commitments. Israel, therefore, issued its own clarifications when agreeing to the Road Map. Israel did not want another vague agreement that could be interpreted in many ways.

Recent events may mean a renewed role for the Road Map. With the death of Yasser Arafat, Palestinians may be willing to halt terrorist attacks from within their midst. The election victory of Mahmoud Abbas as Rais - president - may lead to a Palestinian leadership that implements reforms and meets its commitments in the peace process.

On April 15, 2004, President George W. Bush proposed two changes to the envisioned peace agreements. First Israel will retain major population centers located to the east of the 1949 Armistice line: "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, and all previous efforts to negotiate a two-state solution have reached the same conclusion. It is realistic to expect that any final status agreement will only be achieved on the basis of mutually agreed changes that reflect these realities..." Second Palestinian refugees will not enter Israel: "It seems clear that an agreed, just, fair and realistic framework for a solution to the Palestinian refugee issue as part of any final status agreement will need to be found through the establishment of a Palestinian state and the settling of Palestinian refugees there rather than Israel." Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's "disengagement" plan to unilaterally withdraw the Israeli army and citizens from Gaza and the northern West Bank was based on the belief that Israel had no Palestinian negotiating partner. Today, Sharon may have found in Abbas a partner in the peace process, and the withdrawal may be carried out after bilateral negotiations. After more than four years of warfare, there are optimistic signs emanating from all parties that an end to the violence could be in sight. The Road Map may serve as a very important guide to those working toward a permanent end to this devastating war. (Israel HighWay Staff)

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Palestinian Obligations Rice: It's obviously extremely important that the Palestinians take seriously the obligations that they undertook in the roadmap - to fight terror, to unify their security forces, to use their security forces, to make certain that no terrorist acts take place on their territory, and I think they have made some progress in this regard....The Palestinian security forces have to be unified. They have to be put under central control. They have to be better equipped and trained. All of those are elements with which the United States can be helpful, as well as other countries in the region like Egypt or Jordan. Question: Does Abbas need some gestures from the Israelis? Rice: The determination to fight terror and to reestablish law and order is something that the Palestinians need to do, period.

Additional Information

What does the American President say about the Road Map?
Israeli Cabinet Statement on Road Map and 14 Reservations
Keeping Track of the Road Map

Sharon, Abbas to Have First Summit in Egypt by Mark Heinrich

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Egypt next week, the highest-level summit between the sides in four years of armed conflict, officials said on Wednesday. The talks would aim to build on a fragile, de facto cease-fire engineered by Abbas after his Jan. 9 election by launching a peace process based on a U.S.-backed "road map" to a Palestinian state in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza. Aides to Sharon and Abbas said they had accepted an invitation from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to a meeting on Feb. 8 in the Sinai Red Sea resort of Sharm al-Sheikh. (Reuters)

Auschwitz Liberation Anniversary Is Marked by Craig Whitlock

More than two dozen presidents, prime ministers, members of royalty, and other leaders sat in the bitterly cold open air last week to remember the millions of victims of the Holocaust, most of them Jews. Among those attending were Vice President Cheney, German President Horst Koehler, Russian President Vladimir Putin, French President Jacques Chirac, Britain's Prince Edward, and Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, whose father was held at the camp as a Soviet prisoner of war. (Washington Post)

See Also: Photo Gallery - Auschwitz Remembered (Washington Post)

First Israeli National Day Honoring Wallenberg

The Minister for Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs, Natan Sharansky, hosted a series of events this week in commemoration of 60 years since the heroic activities of Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who saved tens of thousands of Jews in Hungary during World War II by issuing multiple unauthorized Swedish passports. Tuesday was Israel's first-ever National Day honoring Wallenberg.

"Raoul Wallenberg is the foremost 'Righteous Gentile' in the world," said Sharansky. "Tens of thousands of people were saved by him; he serves as burning example that even in the darkest of times it was possible to act, and to save lives. His life must be taught and learned as part of Shoah [Holocaust] education for the younger generation, so our children will know that not all the world is against us." (The Jerusalem Post)

Israel Embarks on Tsunami Aid Campaign by Greer Fay Cashman

President Moshe Katsav has called on all citizens of Israel to join in the campaign for long-term humanitarian aid for the victims of the tsunami disaster. At a ceremony at Beit Hanassi on Sunday, Katsav urged all Israelis to contribute to the Israel National Emergency Coalition's nationwide fundraising drive, launched on Tuesday. "We are obligated to fulfill this humanitarian mission and in so doing demonstrate that we are indeed a light unto the nations," said Katsav. "We, the children of the Jewish people who have witnessed so many hardships in our own history, do not have the right to deny assistance when we see the recurring scenes of tragedy that are the outcome of the tsunami disaster," said Katsav. (The Jerusalem Post)

Student Sues Canada for Right to List Israel as Birthplace by Tim NauMetz

A Toronto high school student who was born in Jerusalem is taking the federal government to court over Canada's refusal to designate Israel as his country of birth on his Canadian passport. Legal counsel for the B'nai Brith filed an application with the Federal Court last week in an attempt to get the longstanding passport policy reviewed on behalf of 17-year-old Eliyahu Yoshua Veffer.

Mr. Veffer, who came to Canada with his family six years ago, said his inability to designate Israel as his birth country is an affront to his heritage. His passport lists Jerusalem as his birthplace, but does not mention Israel. "It's like you're telling me I don't have a mother, but I was born," Mr. Veffer said in an interview from his Toronto home. (Ottowa Citizen)

Bush Borrows a Page from Natan Sharansky for Speeches by Elisabeth Bumiller

"I felt like Sharansky's book [The Case for Democracy] just confirmed what I believe," Bush said in an interview in the Oval Office last Thursday. "He writes it a heck of a lot better than I could write it, and he's certainly got more credibility than I have. After all, he spent time in a Soviet prison and he has a much better perspective than I've got." "That thinking, that's part of my presidential DNA," Bush said. "I mean, it's what I think; it's a part of all policy. Yes, it'll be in the State of the Union. It's in the Inaugural Address....It is part of my philosophy." (International Herald Tribune)

Israeli Agents with a Nose for Explosives by Amelia Thomas

Erez Finkelstein pulls up at Tel Aviv's central bus station and takes two containers from his pocket. "This one's TNT, dynamite, and the other's C4, plastic explosive." He approaches a bus in a long line of parked vehicles and tucks the TNT beneath the wheel arch. He then walks to a nearby motor scooter and conceals the C4 inside the engine casing. As an instructor for the U.S.-Israeli charity Pups for Peace , his job is to ensure that their highly trained squad of bomb-detecting dogs stays in top form.

After just two minutes of sniffing, Cliff, a Dutch shepherd, discovers the first of the hidden explosives. "If the dogs didn't find what they're looking for at least once a day," Finkelstein explains, "they might lose interest in their work." To date, about 30 handler/dog teams have been established within Israel, with new recruits (mainly German shepherds, border collies, and Labrador retrievers) arriving for training all the time. (Christian Science Monitor)

Former Terrorist Has Changed his Ways by Christopher Moore

A self-described former terrorist with the Palestine Liberation Organization spoke before a packed house at Brandeis University last week, describing the hatred of Jews he was taught growing up in the Middle East and the culture of anti-Semitism that still exists there today.

Walid Shoebat was born in Bethlehem to a Jordanian Muslim father and an American mother. As a child, he lived through the 1967 Six-Day War which began Israel's occupation of Bethlehem - a city that had formerly belonged to Jordan.

Though he became involved in the PLO as a young man, at times committing acts of violence against Jews, he eventually came to shun that way of life. Last night, he explained to students how he came to see the error of his ways, and he described to them an atmosphere of anti-Semitism that he said teaches children to hate those they do not know.

In a Muslim grade school, Shoebat said he learned to recite songs calling Jews "dogs" and was told that Jews came from Europe to steal land from Arabs. As a teen, he said, he was taught nothing of Jewish history in the Middle East. He was told the Holocaust never happened, that footage of it on television was faked by Jewish actors.

Shoebat, now a Christian, praised the Jewish culture and religion for promoting peace and valuing human life. However, he did not see himself as "preaching to the choir," because he said American Jews lack a true understanding of the Middle East situation. Shoebat said American Jews should be well aware of the anti-Semitism that he said still exists in the Middle East. He said there are children's cartoons shown there that depict Jews killing Palestinian children (see picture) and bottling their blood for consumption. (Daily News Tribune)

See story below: Palestinian TV Tones Down Martial Posture

Slowly, the Peace Moves Forward by Amos Harel

At the changing-of-the-guard ceremony for the head of the Central Command in Jerusalem on Sunday, many of the Israel Defense Forces officers in the audience could be seen keeping their eyes somewhat nervously on their pagers. The frequent glances were not the result of an abundance of operational messages, but the very opposite - the pagers were uncustomarily quiet.

Sunday saw just a solitary shooting incident throughout the territories, and those who had become accustomed to an incessant stream of reports since the collapse of the first hudna (cease-fire) in August 2003 are going to need some time to adjust to the fall-off in the extent of the incidents.

The new arrangement in the territories is supposed to stabilize this week: The Palestinian security forces have completed their deployment in the Gaza Strip; Israel and the Palestinian Authority are discussing handing over control of a number of West Bank cities to the Palestinians; and the IDF is already conducting itself in keeping with new game rules, as defined by Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon - a halt to offensive operations in the Gaza Strip, and restricting such operations in the West Bank to dealing with "ticking time bombs." (Ha'aretz)

Palestinian TV Tones Down Martial Posture

Reflecting an improvement in Israeli-Palestinian relations, Palestinian TV has toned down its long-standing martial posture, opting for kinder, gentler programming in line with rising hopes for Middle Eastern peace. No longer do the anti-Israeli acts of Palestinian militants receive center stage in broadcasts and a former emphasis on paeans to the Palestinian leadership has all but disappeared.

Language long criticized by Israel as inflammatory - "martyrdom operations" against Israeli targets, for example - has given way to the more neutral jargon, like "explosions." "We run our programs according to the political situation," said Radwan Abu Ayash. "Now there is an atmosphere of hope and peace so our programs have changed to accompany this atmosphere." (Associated Press)

Birthright Buzz by Jill Blum

For five years I had signed up for birthright Israel trips, then canceled due to fear. "Next year it will be safer," I thought, "next year the Israelis and Palestinians will find common ground ... next year."

And suddenly I was 26 and there was no more "next year." The trip is for 18- to 26-year-olds; I could never afford to go on my own or through my synagogue. I have worked full time since I was 18, going to school part time throughout. So I filled out the form again. This time I was going, no matter what. I went to the birthright Israel Web site. First on the list was Aish HaTorah, so I applied.

The whole trip was filled with Jews more secular than observant, more cynical than optimistic. While ranging in age from 18 to 26, the gap disappeared instantly as we all experienced the wonder of Israel for the first time.

I am the first to mock anyone who would call any country a "wonder,' but there is no other word to describe planting a tree in Israel with your own hands, setting foot upon Masada, standing by the waterfalls in Ein Gedi, floating in the Dead Sea covered in mud, sitting in Israel's independence hall and hearing the recording of "Hatikvah" being performed in 1948, touring Jerusalem's ancient Temple Mount tunnels, Shabbos at the Kotel, becoming lifelong friends with 39 "strangers," and so much more. In eight days of speed-touring, I learned more about Jewish history than in 13 years of Hebrew school.

I fell in love with this land, and these people. There is an unseeable force flowing throughout Jerusalem; the energy buzzes at all hours. At night, when I couldn't sleep, knowing I was in this brand new country, the birthright of our people, I would sit on the hotel's patio and just listen. I found my answers there, about being Jewish and what it means to me: survival, love, respect, honor, courage, Torah, and G-d. (Excerpted from the Baltimore Jewish Times)

Springetts PA Teen Off to Kibbutz by Christina Kauffman

Joshua Weinstein, a Springettsbury Township 11th-grader will be one of 96 students from across the United States to study in Israel as part of the North American Federation of Temple Youth, the youth branch of the Union for Reform Judaism.

He leaves this week and returns June 6. "Everywhere I go there, there are people like me," he said. "Everything about my culture, it flourishes there." In Israel, everything - mainstream, at least - is kosher. It may sound like a small detail, he said. But it's nice to not have to worry about it sometimes.

In Israel, Josh will study mostly the same courses he would have taken if he was back at Suburban High School, such as physics, pre-calculus and physical education. Two other classes - Israeli culture and Hebrew - are unique to the Israeli school. They include "field trips" to exotic places that some of Josh's peers from Suburban may never see: the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee.

Despite frequent terrorist attacks in Israel, Josh said he is not afraid. "I feel very safe in Israel," he said. "In Israel, I feel a stronger connection to God," he said. By not going to Israel, "it's like saying terrorism won," he said. "I have an obligation to Israel. Without Israel, I might not be here." (The York Dispatch)

Israeli Bluesmen to Turn Memphis Red Hot by Harry Rubenstein

Mention Israeli music and the average American might think of Naomi Shemer, the wedding favorite 'Hava Nagila', or moving away from ancient history, hip hop and multi-ethnic music. But Israeli blues? The two just don't go together. But all that may change at this week's International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee.

Israeli blues band CG and the Hammer will compete against more than 100 bands from around the world for the coveted title of 'Best Unsigned Blues Band' and over $25,000 in cash and prizes. (Israel21c)

See Also: Click here to hear CG & the Hammer (CD Baby)

Idan Raichel Plays at Campus Concert to Benefit Sudanese People

Several University of California - Davis groups have come together to bring attention to genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. Through this effort, and in honor of Black History Month, a Sudan Human Rights Crisis Benefit Concert is planned for 7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 14, in Freeborn Hall on campus.

The concert features one of Israel's hottest new bands, "The Idan Raichel Project," comprised of Israeli and Ethiopian performers singing in both Hebrew and Amharic (the language of Ethiopia). They present a new and exciting blend of music influenced by Middle Eastern and Ethiopian traditions. Following the concert, band members will answer questions about personal experiences that inspired the Idan Raichel Project, seen as a great symbol of diversity, humanity, hope and endurance. (Davis Enterprise)

Jewish Rapper Rocks Hillel at University of Central Florida

Last week, Remedy, whose real name is Ross Filler, gave a free concert to 200 students at the University of Central Florida, rapping about such diverse topics as the Holocaust, the history of the Jewish people and 9/11. Hillel at UCF, in conjunction with Hip Hop Elements, UCF's student hip hop group, organized the campus-wide event, which was headlined by a local Jewish rapper who goes by the pseudonym of "Xodus Ph.D."

While Filler's medium may be perceived as rough around the edges, his intentions are largely educational. "I spread the message of Israel and Judaism. I think it's important in general for people to know their identity, where they are from, and the history of their people," Filler said. "A lot of people stereotype me right away and assume that I'm a gimmick or a joke." But Filler is the real thing. He has collaborated many times with the infamous Wu-Tang Clan, a group that pioneered the genre of hardcore rap, beginning in the early 1990s.

So what did this former street hustler hope to impart on his audience? "A strong identity and the wanting to visit Israel," he said. (Hillel)

Israeli Company Wires Super Bowl Venue

No matter where you tune in around the world next Sunday when you sit back to watch The New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles battle in the Super Bowl, you can can thank Israel technology for enabling you to see the game.

Super Bowl 2005 will be broadcast around the world using technology developed in Israel by MobileAccess Networks, which develops and markets communication networks and is a leading developer of in-building wireless solutions for corporate enterprises and wireless service providers. According to Israeli paper Yediot Aharonot, the company developed the communication network that is in place at Alltel Stadium, which will host the Super Bowl. (Israel21c)

Now's the Time for a 'Glass Half-Full' Approach by Aluf Benn

A source in the defense establishment described the dilemma now facing Israel following mortar fire in Gaza: On the one hand, the public wants quiet and is ready to close "half an eye" to give the cease-fire a chance. On the other hand, Israel cannot give up the principle that the PA prevent attacks. The solution to the dilemma is also split into two: verbal pressure on the PA and restraint on the ground.

Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz demanded from his Palestinian interlocutors that they do something to stop the mortars and not make do with the passive deployment of thousands of policemen in Gaza. But Israel will avoid any use of force if there is no further escalation. (Ha'aretz)

A World Without Israel by Josef Joffe

Since World War II, no state has suffered so cruel a reversal of fortunes as Israel. Admired all the way into the 1970s as the state of "those plucky Jews" who survived against all odds and made democracy and the desert bloom in a climate hostile to both liberty and greenery, Israel has become the target of creeping delegitimization. Would the Islamic world hate the United States less if Israel vanished? The notion that 5 million Jews are solely responsible for the rage of 1 billion or so Muslims cannot carry the weight assigned to it. (Foreign Policy)

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