Mid East, US: Peace Hereaways

Despite the current political environment the U.S. President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have declared that they continue to believe in the possibility of reaching peace in the Middle East by the end of 2008.

These statements were made on the day after an Israeli land operation in the Gaza Strip, in which more than 120 Palestinians were killed. How much more will the Palestinians and Israelis have to pay for Washington's hopes to come true?

Bush's expression of hope came at a news conference in Washington after his talks with King of Jordan Abdullah II, and his words could be dismissed as diplomatic politesse. But Rice was visiting the Middle East at the time, and could see for herself what was going on in the region. Rockets were falling on Israel; the Israelis continued their surgical strikes in Gaza despite an earlier troop withdrawal.

For the U.S. administration, a peace agreement in the Middle East is a matter of principle. It has become part of its strategy on global struggle against terrorism in the wake of 9/11 attacks. This issue is as important as the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq. Bush simply cannot leave his office without drawing a line under the main project of his whole presidency.

It is no accident that during her trip to the Middle East Rice emphasized that the U.S. would not allow the opponents of peace to win. This was a clear hint at Hamas, which seized power in the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2007, and at the Iran-led "global terrorist coalition." Washington is blaming Iran for supporting Hamas in Palestine and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

According to the latest public opinion polls, published by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz last week, 64 percent of Israelis stand for dialogue with Hamas with a view to signing a truce agreement. However, this is not in US interests. Nor is a truce likely to help establish peace. So, there is only one option left - destruction of Hamas in Gaza. Could Washington be counting on this? But what price will Israelis and Palestinians have to pay for this? Wouldn't it escalate tensions even more?