Al-Aqaba summit took place in Jordan on the 3rd of June, which marked the long awaited ‘acceptance’ of the ‘roadmap’ by Israel, indicating the start of the peace process between Sharon’s right wing government and the Palestinians under the new leadership of, recently appointed Prime Minister, Abu Mazen. The Palestinians were hopeful, with 79% supporting Abu Mazen and wanting to give peace a chance, while the Israelis under the leadership of Ariel Sharon did not waste time in undermining the process by doing everything in their power to jumpstart the cycle of violence.

The Palestinian leadership has been calling on factions to restrain from reacting and hitting back the occupation troops regardless of their continued violations aimed at provoking Palestinians. Unfortunately the damage was done, with two political religious leaders assassinated in cold blood the radicals executed a suicide attack inside Jerusalem killing 18 Israelis and granting Sharon a gift he has long awaited. Today Sharon has put the ‘roadmap’ on hold and has cancelled all meetings and withdrawals scheduled to take place in accordance to the peace plan.

Israel swiftly retaliated by assassinating Ismail Abu Shanab, a senior Hamas political leader, in a missile strike in Gaza City on Thursday. Fifteen bystanders were hurt. Also, Israeli troops raided the West Bank towns of Nablus, Jenin and Tulkarem in search of militants. In the West Bank city Hebron, troops blew up the home of the Jerusalem bus bomber in what has become a routine punishment intended as deterrent. Hamas vowed revenge and, along with Islamic Jihad, formally abandoned a truce declared eight weeks ago

Sharon was never elected as a man of peace; he was elected as the tough army general who will not hesitate to assure Israeli theft of Palestinian land while expanding illegal settlements. His policies are summarized in hitting the Palestinians hard and forcing them to both submit and leave, or to react violently which in return empowers the warmonger who is only fluent in the language of death and war.

Over the past two months, Israeli troops have claimed the lives of 76 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 7 children and 4 women. There were more than eight illegal assassination attempts violating the US led world desire for building trust and easing life on the occupied Palestinians in accordance with the ‘roadmap.’ The violations never stopped, with over 110 homes demolished or destroyed by mindless shelling and shooting during Israeli incursions into Palestinian neighborhoods and urban areas. There were close to 500 Palestinians abducted as Israel, in a mocking manner, releases the few that were due to be freed. Human rights organizations have reported the continued use of Palestinian civilians as human shields during the Israeli invasions and abduction campaigns. Needless to say, illegal outposts are higher in number today than they were the day Israel promised to dismantle them and more land has been annexed in Kahn Younis and Jerusalem in order to expand illegal settlements such as Morag in Gaza.

The PNA has strongly condemned this attack and will prosecute the people responsible. “Such attacks hurt our just cause,” Abu Mazen told the press, as he called on the USA to intervene and save the peace process before matters get even more complicated and out of hand. Even though it is impossible to control the actions of revengeful Palestinians with nothing to lose, it is time to rise above the Sharon provocations and to become united under one leadership regardless of the continued Israeli violations. When Palestinians react in a way that empowers Sharon, they are only dehumanizing and hurting the just Palestinian cause.

One can only hope that sanity will prevail during these chaotic times and that Hamas and Islamic Jihad will reconsider their actions and fumble Israel’s attempts to unleash a new cycle of violence that threatens to be more lethal than anything endured thus far.