Arab peace proposal raises more questions

There are plenty of reasons to be skeptical about an Arab newspaper's story purporting to outline a Mideast peace plan made by Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.

As reported, the deal would be for all the Arab nations of the region to "make peace" with Israel in return for an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem.

Some U.S. officials immediately seized the offer as an opportunity to keep the dialogue open in efforts to put an end to the terrorism and military attacks by the Palestinians and the Israelis. But those same officials also say they're not sure how such a deal would actually bring peace.

Israelis also said they would be willing to talk to Arab leaders to explore the idea more fully. But Saudi Arabia's state-run newspaper, Al-Watan, said no Israeli-Saudi visits could occur until a Mideast peace agreement is reached.

Clearly, the road to peace is still filled with land mines, both real and rhetorical.

It would be fair to ask how any lasting peace can be achieved without discussions between Israelis and the leaders of Arab nations. It also would be fair to ask how Saudi Arabia or any other Arab nation could possibly guarantee such a peace. The fighting over the centuries hasn't been just between Arabs and Jews. There has been plenty of conflict between Arab nations as well.

At the crux of this proposed peace plan, of course, are the Palestinians -- in particular, the Palestinian Liberation Organization and its leader, Yasser Arafat.

Look at all the concessions Israel already has made to the PLO. What has it received in return? Terrorist bombings of civilians, including teen-agers at a popular night spot. How does Crown Prince Abdullah propose to guarantee the safety of Israeli youngsters under his plan?

The Saudis are asking Israel to give up land it obtained through military action dating back to 1967. What are Arab nations willing to give up? What is the PLO willing to give up?

Within Israel there are strong factions that believe the nation already has given up far too much, only to have innocent civilians killed in the streets. Arafat says he decries these terrorist acts. But he exerts little influence over stopping them.

It seems highly unlikely that giving the Palestinians more land to occupy would somehow cause them to desist from violence to achieve their real goal: the abolition of Israel.

Secretary of State Colin Powell is right to seek every opening in the fragile Mideast peace process. But he surely knows he cannot trust the PLO nor Arab nations until they demonstrate their desire for peace by halting their bloody attacks.