The recent escalating violence in the Middle East is obviously a cause of concern for the whole world. So achieving a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians is especially important for the United States.

Because of its current war on terrorism, the United States needs support from the Arab and international communities, many of whom have viewed the United States as a biased mediator of the conflict.

If the United States wants to begin military operations against Iraq, it will undoubtedly need the support of its Arab allies. That support will unlikely be garnered unless the United States makes a strong push to reach a settlement between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

Because of the importance of the conflict, the United States should play a larger role at stopping the violence. President George W. Bush’s comments yesterday asking Israel to halt its “incursions into Palestinian-controlled areas and begin the withdrawal from those cities it has recently occupied,” as well as calling on Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat to “do everything in (his) power to stop terrorist activities” against Israel were steps in the right direction.

It is also encouraging that the president decided to send Secretary of State Colin Powell to the region. Such intervention is essential to bring about an end to the violence and hatred it generates.

These actions are also a welcome response to the increasing international scrutiny of the U.S. position in recent days, when the U.S. refused to criticize the Israeli attacks. Yesterday the U.N. Security Council voted 15-0 to demand Israel pullout from Palestinian towns “without delay.”

President Bush’s constructive statements must now be followed by concrete and sustained diplomatic action. The United States currently gives Israel around $2 billion in military aid each year. If Israel does not comply with U.S. requests, the United States should not be afraid to halt or cut back this assistance.

Also, sending a U.N. peacekeeping force to the region would demonstrate a global concern for the conflict and could reduce the tension and violence in the region.

Unless both the United States and other international powers make stronger efforts to resolve the situation, the violence will continue.

This editorial comes from The Stanford Daily at Stanford University.
This column was distributed by U-Wire.

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