A closer look: The Road Map
Explore the long history of Peace Efforts

Information taken from The Road to Peace, csmonitor.com




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The Road Map:

Sponsored by the US, the European Union, the United Nations, and Russia (known as the "quartet"), the road map is meant to achieve a final settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by 2005. The plan is divided into 3 phases. To build momentum, road map planners shifted the most difficult decisions to the last phase. However, each phase requires moves by both sides that have frustrated negotiators for decades.

Phase 1:
End of violence

Palestinian leaders implement an unconditional official cease-fire and acknowledge Israel's right to exist in peace. The Palestinian Authority (PA) security force reorganizes and confronts those who violently attack Israelis. It also reestablishes cooperation with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). The PA takes steps to establish a strong parliamentary democracy with separation of powers.

Israel states a commitment to a viable sovereign Palestinian state and calls for the end of violence against Palestinians. Israel takes no actions undermining trust, including deportations, attacks on civilians, or house demolitions. Israel must dismantle settlement outposts erected since March 2001 and freeze further settlement activity. IDF withdraws from areas occupied since Sept. 28, 2000. Restrictions on Palestinian movement are eased.

Road bumps: The Palestinian Authority will have difficulty curbing the militant organizations like Hamas and Islamic Jihad which do not support the peace process. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, meanwhile, will face tough opposition from right-wing Israelis who equate giving up land – even small outposts – with giving up security.

Phase 2:
Transition to separate states

The next phase begins after "free, open, and fair" Palestinian elections and ends with the possible creation of an independent Palestinian state with provisional borders. A democratic state would be based on a new constitution finalized and approved by Palestinian institutions.

Road bumps: Actual free and fair elections will require Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to loosen his grip on power. And what if Hamas and Islamic Jihad put forth political candidates? Expect sharp disagreement from the Palestinians with any provisional borders that take into account larger Israeli settlements and other "facts on the ground."

Phase 3:
Permanent status agreement

Talks convened by the quartet lead to a permanent-status resolution in 2005 to end the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The toughest disputes, back-loaded to jumpstart the peace process, now need to be resolved. Final decisions are required on borders, Jerusalem, refugees, and settlements. The quartet nudges Israel, Lebanon, and Syria to arrive at a settlement as well. Arab states accept full normal relations with Israel.

Road bumps: While there are many thorny issues, Jerusalem may be the trickiest. The religious claims to the city by both the Jewish and Muslim communities make a Solomonic division extremely controversial. Jewish settlements ringing around East Jerusalem further complicate the situation.
Israel-Palestine Border