WASHINGTON: Deepening US involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the White House has expanded the mandate of a US general so that he can begin to mediate between both sides on security issues as Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip. Previously, Gen. William Ward was generally limited to assisting the Palestinian Authority as it rebuilt its security forces and was specifically told not to intervene in discussions between the two sides. But US officials concluded that the two sides were failing to coordinate effectively and needed the help of a third party to make real progress before Israel leaves Gaza as planned in August.
Ward’s new role was disclosed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at a breakfast meeting with a small group of reporters and Middle East experts on Friday and confirmed by a senior US official. Abbas described the move as a tangible sign of an enhanced US involvement in resolving the decades-old conflict. “We have noticed and felt an American commitment, and perhaps this commitment manifests itself through the mandate of General Ward, which will expand,” Abbas said. Abbas appeared exuberant, if a bit tired, at the hour-long session as he reviewed with satisfaction the results of his three-day visit to Washington.
The US official said the original goal when Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice named Ward in February was not to put him in the middle of the two sides. In her announcement, Rice said: “The United States does not feel that it is necessary to intervene simply for the sake of intervening. The bilateral security cooperation is more important than anything that we could do trilaterally.” But the US official said it had become apparent that the process had not taken off as US officials had hoped. With time running short before Israel leaves Gaza, he said, a decision was made to direct Ward to take a much more active role in coordinating between the Israelis and Palestinians.
In another side of more active engagement, Rice herself will visit Al Quds and the West Bank in mid-June. Her trip will be preceded by a visit by Elliott Abrams, a top National Security Council aide, and Assistant Secretary of State William Welch; Abrams and Welch will also follow up Rice’s visit with another trip, diplomats said.
Martin Indyk, a former Clinton administration official who heads the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, said that President Bush’s instinct to not get too deeply involved was correct, but it became clear the parties cannot make progress if left to themselves.
“There is a reminiscent sucking sound that former Clinton people can tell you is familiar,” Indyk said. “Ward is being sucked into the effort, but I think it is necessary and essential.”
Israeli officials have complained about the slow pace of reform in the Palestinian Authority. But Ward recently praised Abbas’s efforts, saying he had taken essential steps toward creating a single authority on the streets. Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper, reported last week that Ward had berated Israeli officials for complaining about Palestinian failures when they had not met their own commitments.
Indyk said one key issue that Ward will face is the Palestinian desire to rearm their security services.—Dawn/LAT-WP News Service
