- The Two Cowards (August 19, 2003)
... that a clear majority on both sides endorses the cease-fire, supports the road map to peace and favors the idea of a two-state solution, Israel next to Pales... - Sharon Asks for West Bank Settlements in Exchange for Gaza Ones (February 6, 2004)
...t his plan to the Americans during an upcoming visit to Washington. The road map, to which the U.S. and international community remain committed, calls for... - 'Unauthorized' Settlement Outposts (June 10, 2003)
...n Yehoshua Mor-Yosef[1] In an effort to demonstrate compliance with the Road Map, the Israeli government has started to dismantle 15 of what it calls "unau... - Int'l Media Interpret State of Union as Campaign Speech (February 6, 2004)
...egional concern, including next steps in Iraq, the fate of the Middle East road map, and the global economy -- all issues that had generated global editorial... - A Truce of Sorts (June 30, 2003)
...roops have begun pulling out of northern Gaza. The internationally backed "road map" for Middle East peace now stands a chance, though the truce is bound to b... - Withdrawal Could Delay Palestinian Statehood for Years, Says Sharon (April 6, 2004)
...t Bank. They say a withdrawal must be coordinated as part of the US-backed road map peace plan, which envisions a Palestinian state by next year. The prime... - Israel to Coordinate With US on Moves (December 16, 2003)
...hat he will take unilateral steps if there is no progress on the U.S.-led "road map" peace plan within six months, Israeli media reported Tuesday. Unilater... - Abbas Hopeful of Hamas Ceasefire Agreement (May 29, 2003)
...ng with the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, to discuss the US-backed road map for peace. Mr Abbas, better known as Abu Mazen, met with Hamas last we... - Security Council Holds Meeting on Rantisi Assassination (April 20, 2004)
...-Kidwa accused Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of departing from the so-called road map peace plan endorsed by the U.S., the UN, the European Union and Russia wit... - Erecting a Barrier to Peace (August 14, 2003)
...ence in the construction of the Jerusalem wall at the very moment that the road map process for Mideast peace is fighting for its life replicates the fatal fl... - What Does Sharon's Latest Settlement Move Mean For Israel? (February 6, 2004)
...nian state to be constructed. One of the main reasons President Bush's "road map" for peace failed was that Sharon reneged on promises that he would start... - Sharon Threatens to Hit Israel's Enemies Anywhere (October 7, 2003)
...nians are required to rein in militants under a stalled U.S.-backed peace "road map," but Qurie has ruled out a crackdown for fear of starting a civil war. Th... - Quiet Negotiations Develop Possible Mideast Peace Plan (November 2, 2003)
...aps last, chance for peace. Its plan is an alternative to the "Quartet" road map fashioned by the U.S., the European Union, the United Nations and Russia.... - The Domination Effect (January 8, 2004)
...dening. The Pentagon is reportedly coordinating an "information operations road map", drafted by the Information Operations Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staf... - US Security Forces May Draft British ISPs in Spy Game (June 19, 2002)
... by cyber security czar Richard Clarke, and is intended as a collaborative road map for further action by government agencies, private industry, and Congress.... - Phase I (as early as May 2003): End to Palestinian violence; Palestinian political reform; Israeli withdrawal and freeze on settlement expansion; Palestinian elections
- Phase II (as early as June-Dec 2003): Creation of an independent Palestinian state; international conference and international monitoring of compliance with the road map
- Phase III (as early as 2004-2005): Second international conference; permanent status agreement and end of conflict; agreement on final borders, clarification of the highly controversial question of the fate of Jerusalem, refugees and settlements; Arab states to agree to peace deals with Israel
- Full text of the "road map" - April 30, 2003
- Text of Palestinian truces - June 29, 2003
- Hamas vows to sabotage blueprint for Palestinian state
- Abbas: I avoided Road Map compliance
- Hanan Ashwari on expected text of the Road Map written October 28, 2002
- "A Shot at Peace": Can the U.S. Enforce the "Road Map"
- Analysis of the Sharon government's strategy towards the Road map - by Uri Avnery, 25. August 2003
- The Right Road to Peace an alternative proposal by Israeli tourism minister Benny Elon
Road map for peace
(Redirected from Road Map)
The "road map" for peace is a plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict proposed by a "quartet" of international entities: the United States, the European Union, Russia, and the United Nations. The principles of the plan were first outlined by U.S. President George W. Bush in a speech on June 24, 2002, in which he called for an independent Palestinian state living side by side with the Israeli state in peace. Bush was the first U.S. President to explicitly call for such a Palestinian state.
In exchange for statehood, the road map requires the Palestinians to make democratic reforms and abandon the use of terrorism. Israel, for its part, must support and accept the emergence of a reformed Palestinian government and end settlement activity of the Gaza Strip and West Bank as the Palestinian terrorist threat is removed.
The first step on the road map was the appointment of the first-ever Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (also known as Abu Mazen) by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The United States and Israel demanded that Arafat be neutralized or sidelined in the road map process, claiming that he had not done enough to stop Palestinian attacks against Israelis while in charge. The United States refused to release the road map until a Palestinian Prime Minister was in place. Abbas was appointed on March 19, 2003, clearing the way for the release of the road map's details on April 30, 2003.
The road map comprises three goal-driven phases with the ultimate goal of ending the conflict as early as 2005. However, as a performance-based plan, progress will require and depend upon the good faith efforts of the parties, and their compliance with each of the obligations outlined below. Should the parties perform their obligations rapidly, progress within and through the phases may come sooner than indicated in the plan. Non-compliance with obligations will impede progress. Diplomats from the quartet put the plan together, with amendments following consultations with Israelis and Palestinians:
On May 27, 2003, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon stated that the "occupation" of Palestinian territories was "a terrible thing for Israel and for the Palestinians" and "can't continue endlessly." Sharon's phraseology prompted shock from many in Israel, leading to a clarification that by "occupation," Sharon meant control of millions of Palestinian lives rather than actual physical occupation of land. Nevertheless, outsiders believed that Sharon knew what he was saying when he used the word "occupation" and was carefully offering the road map for peace a chance, despite his traditionally hawkish views towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
President Bush visited the Middle East from June 2-4 2003 for two summits in an attempt to push the road map as part of a seven-day overseas trip through Europe and Russia. On June 2, Israel freed about 100 Palestinian political prisoners before the first summit in Egypt as a sign of goodwill. In Egypt on June 3, President Bush met with the leaders of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Bahrain, and with Prime Minister Abbas. The Arab leaders announced their support for the road map and promised to work on cutting off funding to "terrorist groups." On June 4, Bush headed to Jordan to meet directly with Sharon and Abbas.
After Bush left the region, a series of retaliatory attacks by Israelis and Palestinians threatened to derail the road map. On June 10, Israeli helicopters fired missiles at a car in Gaza in a failed attempt to assassinated Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi. Two Palestinians were killed in the attack. The next day, a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up on an Israeli bus, killing 17 passengers and bystanders. In the following few days, Israel continued its targeting of Hamas leaders with new helicopter attacks.
On June 29, 2003, a tentative cease-fire was reached between the Palestinian Authority and four major Palestinian groups. Islamic Jihad and Hamas announced a joint three-month cease-fire, while Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction declared a six-month truce. The cease-fire was later joined by the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. One condition of maintaining the truce is a demand for the release of prisoner from Israeli jails, which is not part of the road map process. Despite this, Israel withdrew troops from the northern Gaza Strip and was discussing the transfer of territory to Palestinian control. The apparent breakthrough coincided with a visit to the region by United States National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice.
On July 1, 2003, in Jerusalem, Sharon and Abbas held a first-ever ceremonial opening to peace talks, televised live in both Arabic and Hebrew. Both leaders said the violence had gone one too long and that they were committed to the U.S.-led road map for peace. On July 2, Israeli troops pulled out of Bethlehem and transferred control to Palestinian security forces. The plan required that Palestinian police take over from withdrawing Israeli forces and stop any anti-Israeli militant attacks. At the same time, the U.S. announced a $30 million aid package to the Palestinian Authority to help rebuild infrastructure destroyed by Israeli incursions.
As of the end of 2003, the Palestinian Authority didn't succeed in stopping Palestinian terrorism, while Israel has not withdrawn from Palestinian areas occupied since September 28, 2000 or frozen settlement expansion. Thus the parties have not complied with the requirements of Phase I of the road map and no further progress on the roadmap has been made.
On February 13, 2004 the United Stated government decided that it may endorse Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan for a unilateral withdrawal of most Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip, noting that "...negotiations were impossible because of Palestinian recalcitrance."[1]
External links