(Financial Times-UK) Hala Mustafa - * Three years after the "road map" was agreed to, even the first phase, which calls for "an unconditional cessation of violence and (the dismantling of) terrorist capabilities and infrastructure," has not been achieved. Mahmoud Abbas has proved unable to control the militant groups, including his own Fatah party's armed wing, which was responsible for one of the recent suicide bombings. * Why has there been so little progress? For the answer, look not just to the Israelis and Palestinians, but to other governments in the region which have been neither receptive nor helpful to reaching a lasting peace. While the roles of the Middle East's two most radical regimes, Syria and Iran, are usually at the center of the debate, very little attention has been given to the policies of the "moderate" regional governments. * Since Saudi Arabia is committed to the Islamic political agenda, it should not surprise anyone that its pledges to the U.S. contradict its real position regarding support for the Palestinian resistance and Hamas in particular. It has agreed to a large assistance package to the Palestinian Authority, which comes after the Arab League spearheaded the effort to unite the Arab world to fund Hamas under the banner of "saving the Palestinians." * Similarly, although Egypt signed the first peace accord with Israel and has played the role of mediator, its policy remains complex. Since a large part of the regime's legitimacy is based on its support of the Palestinian cause, it is fully dedicated to the "legitimate" national armed resistance. * So, while the Muslim Brotherhood is banned in Egypt, the regime gave full political recognition to Hamas - which is part of the Brotherhood's transnational network - even before the Palestinian legislative elections were held. The writer is editor of the Al-Ahram Foundation's quarterly journal al-Dimuqratia (Democracy) and Keston visiting fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
2006-04-18 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive