President Bush's 'Road Map' May Repeat Failure of Previous U.S.-Led Mideast Peace Initiatives

Interview with Naseer Aruri, author of "Dishonest Broker: The U.S. Role in Palestine, conducted by Denise Manzari

Since the 1967 Israeli invasion and occupation of Palestinian territories, the United States government has assumed the role of chief arbiter in the region.

However, during the past 35 years six U.S. administrations have opposed a settlement that would have put an end to the Israeli occupation and the establishment of a Palestinian state existing side by side with Israel.

The relationship between Israel and the United States developed into a strategic alliance with the U.S. becoming Israel's chief supplier of arms, diplomatic backer and financial donor, shielding Israel from international criticism.

This ultimately placed the U.S. at odds with a global consensus in support of a political settlement within an international framework. Despite numerous initiatives symbolizing diplomatic achievements, none have yet brought stability or peace to the region.

President Bush's initiative called the "road map" to peace promised to resuscitate the peace process in three stages but fails to reveal any real timeline nor enforcement or monitoring mechanisms. With the Aug. 19 Palestinian suicide bombing of a Jerusalem bus killing 20 Israelis, hope for the road map is fading.

Naseer Aruri is the author of "Dishonest Broker: The U.S Role in Israel and Palestine." He spoke with Between The Lines' Denise Manzari about the role of the United States in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and why he feels it thus far has failed to achieve peace.

For more information on Naseer Aruri's book published by South End Press, visit the website www.southendpress.org

Related links

The Electronic Intifada, at www.electronicintifada.net. Publishes news, commentary, analysis, and reference materials about the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict from a Palestinian perspective

Tikkun Magazine, www.tikkun.org. A community of people from many faiths and traditions, with a vision of healing and transforming our world. Guided by the principle of to achieve social justice, ecological sanity, and world peace, and the inner healing needed to foster loving relationships, as well as a generous attitude toward the world and toward others

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