Will this week's brief Egyptian-Jordanian summit help break the current impasse in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process? Reem Nafie seeks out answers in Sharm El-Sheikh Ahead of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's visit to the region later this month, Egypt has stepped up its consultations with other Arab states in an attempt to solidify the unified Arab message that will be delivered to the top American diplomat. This week, President Hosni Mubarak spoke to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad by phone, exchanged messages with the Palestinian leadership, and met with Omani leader Sultan Qabous bin Said and King Abdulla of Jordan in Sharm El-Sheikh. The primary topic in all of these consultations was the Arab-Israeli conflict, although recent developments in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon were also discussed. The consensus among Arab leaders is that the regional situation is bleak; inducing stability is a priority, as is involving all concerned regional and international powers in resolving the situation in the Palestinian territories. On Monday, Mubarak and Abdulla said they were concerned about the lack of progress being made by the Israeli government in honouring the commitments made during last February's Sharm El-Sheikh summit that brought together Mubarak and Abdulla, along with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Presidential spokesman Suleiman Awad told reporters following the summit that both the Egyptian and Jordanian leaders blamed the Israeli government for failing to implement its part of the Sharm El-Sheikh Understandings, "as we had hoped". Awad specifically referred to Israel's inexplicable delay in handing over certain West Bank towns to the Palestinian Authority. According to the truce reached in Sharm El- Sheikh, Israel was also supposed to have released more Palestinian prisoners than it has thus far. Coordination with the Palestinian Authority on the list of prisoners to be released should also have taken place. Israel has also neglected to coordinate the details of its expected withdrawal from Gaza and some parts of the West Bank with the Palestinians. Top Palestinian officials, including Abbas, have been complaining about Israel's failure to coordinate disengagement details or to honour the commitments reached at Sharm El- Sheikh. During recent talks with both Mubarak and Abdulla, Abbas bitterly complained about Israel's intransigence. Choosing to approach the matter diplomatically, Cairo tempered its criticism by also praising Israel for embarking on a series of confidence-building measures. Official Egyptian statements acknowledged Israel's release of some 400 Palestinian detainees last Thursday as a gesture of good faith by Sharon. This said, the Egyptian-Jordanian summit concluded that Israel still has much more to do if it wants to maintain the level of commitment that has been forthcoming from the Palestinian side thus far. Palestinian leader Abbas has been widely praised regionally and internationally, including by senior members of the US administration, for taking firm stances to contain all forms of militant resistance to the Israeli occupation. Abbas's efforts to restructure and support his security apparatus in line with the Sharm El-Sheikh Understandings have also been acknowledged. Awad specifically called on Israel to show greater appreciation for the progress Abbas has made since January in the restructuring of "Palestinian institutions" and "security organs". Mubarak and Abdulla agreed that Abbas couldn't be expected to continue walking the path of peace alone. According to Awad, the two leaders said it was "unrealistic and impractical" for Israel to demand that Abbas dismantle the infrastructure of key Palestinian militant groups, when he has already reached an agreement with them to suspend militant resistance. Abbas "does not have a magic wand to implement the demands being made of him," Awad said, and these militant resistance groups have also shown "great wisdom" in honouring the truce reached with the Palestinian Authority. In fact, the Sharm El-Sheikh Understandings do not stipulate that Abbas should move towards dismantling the infrastructure of key militant resistance groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad -- a long-standing Sharon government demand. International law allows for militant resistance of occupied territories, and Cairo, Amman and other Arab and world capitals have systematically refuted Israel's branding of Hamas and Islamic Jihad as "terror groups". According to the Egyptian spokesman, since Israel was choosing to use a "soft" approach in dealing with settlers who have refused to leave the areas stipulated by the disengagement plan, it should not expect Abbas to delve into a full-blown political confrontation with the militant resistance groups. Another of the summit's conclusions was the desperate need for immediate and effective intervention on the US's part to prompt a positive Israeli attitude. Rice is expected to visit Egypt, Israel and Palestine during her four-day tour later this month. When she arrives, she should expect to hear more Arab concerns about Israel's attitude. She should also be expecting Arab advice on how the US should handle the situation in Iraq and elsewhere in the region. Cairo and many other Arab capitals fear that the heavy- handed US approach towards developments in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon is unlikely to prompt stability. Senior Arab interlocutors will continue to urge Rice -- as they have been for months -- to use prudent diplomacy instead.
