(JTA) Yossi Beilin - The Oslo process was intended to save the Zionist enterprise before Israel would control an area where the majority of residents would be Palestinian. The "road map" peace plan is nothing more than artificial respiration to keep the Oslo process alive through 2005. On the Palestinian side, the extremist religious organizations understood that Israeli-Palestinian peace would be the end of the road for them, and they acted to undermine the process through violence. Israel did not give sufficient importance to incitement in the Palestinian media, thinking it was a trend that would pass when the final-status agreement was signed. This incitement played a significant role in the Palestinians’ return to violence in 2000. Both sides blame the other for the process’ failure, though the Palestinians’ choice of violence means they have the greater share of blame.
2003-09-09 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive