A terrorist, a war criminal and Colin Powell meet at the bargaining table? Sounds like a bad joke, but it?s the best the beleaguered citizens of Palestine and Israel can hope for in the midst of the current struggle. The “terrorist” I mentioned is Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, whose connections span decades of contact with international terror groups. If we?re lucky, he will one day sit on opposite ends of a bargaining table with the war criminal, Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, a man almost indicted for his responsibility in massacres in Sabra and Shatila as a general in the war in Lebanon. As it stands, the situation looks bleak, but it will get better?provided the international community, not Israel, first passes the test in front of it.

President George W. Bush demanded that Sharon pull back Israeli forces, “without delay.” This plea is commendable, and unusual for an American president who supports Israel to the tune of $3 billion per year. Prior, he made a similar demand to Arafat, asking him to put an end to terror and paramilitary attacks pinpointing Israeli civilians?illegal according to the Geneva Convention. Neither side has taken the president?s demands seriously.

According to Amnesty International, the vast majority of the estimated 1,200 Palestinians and 300 Israelis killed in the past 18 months have been civilians. Israeli troops have even, in some instances looted Palestinian homes while entire blocks of residents have been kept jailed, often confined like sheep in single rooms. Meanwhile, reports of torture and executions without trial emanate from the prisons in the occupied zones where hundreds may arrive daily. Also, Israeli Defense Forces blockade entire towns, often to the point where ambulances attempting to cross roadblocks are fired on. During these quarantines, food, water and electricity often remain scarce.

The Palestinian Authority does little better, failing to control both terrorist and organized attacks on civilians and, in some instances, attacking their own citizens thought to be sympathetic to Israel. While each brutal Israeli assault guarantees a cause for future terrorists, the Palestinian terror attacks, in turn, create more vengeful Israelis along the line of Sharon. Simply put: Civilian terror, which is being carried out by both sides, is self-perpetuating. One person?s revenge becomes another?s reason for revenge, and so on.

To confound the situation, there are no referees to monitor the atrocities. Palestinian human rights experts themselves have been jailed in the name of Sharon?s war on terror. Also, press access to the blockaded zones has been restricted. As casualties mount, neither side is held to an adequate level of scrutiny, despite evidence of explicit human rights violations.

To begin the long process to the point where both sides can negotiate peace honestly, the United Nations, with the leadership of the United States, must work to lessen public rage in the general public of both nations. Without international action, this could take years. A pragmatic international community could work very effectively. If Bush is serious about a Middle Eastern peace process, Powell?s first priority should not be to force both sides to the table. This is a second step, which would be undermined by the continued warfare against civilians. Rather, he should work to force both sides to acknowledge international law under the jurisdiction of the United Nations clearly forbidding deliberate attacks on civilians, as well as many of the atrocities mentioned above. This should include a significant entry of U.N. human rights inspectors, free access to the press and guarantees of due process for all prisoners in accordance with the Geneva Convention.

Successful implementation of these or similar measures would be a significant test for the ability of the international community to halt open human rights violations in territories controlled by one of our own allies. Also, curbing the rage of the two peoples could, over time, give their politicians the leverage needed to negotiate a permanent peace.

Only America, whose alliance with Israel gives it substantial bargaining power, could barter such a deal. These steps would be politically small, but in the right direction for long term change.

Have a better idea? Contact Josh Leon at [email protected].