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Dr. Aaron Lerner is co-founder of , Independent Media Review and Analysis, an Israel-based news organization which provides an extensive digest of media, polls and significant interviews and events relating to the Israeli-Arab conflict.
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By Dr. Aaron Lerner
March 30, 2007
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"First, they will discuss immediate concerns, like movement and access, management of the passages, and preventing arms smuggling and rocket fire by terrorists in Gaza. On this trip, however, it became clear to all of us that establishing clear benchmarks to measure progress will help us move forward. So this is one immediate task that the parties will undertake with the assistance of General Keith Dayton."
Secretary Condoleezza Rice remarks to the press - Jerusalem March 27, 2007
Is Ms. Rice returning to reality, and actually giving the "Road Map" some teeth?
Or is this just lip service and she really is only interested in "development of a political horizon" (aka negotiating final status without Palestinian compliance)?
Can the Olmert-Livni team overcome their 30 second attention span and seize this opportunity to establish "clear benchmarks" for Palestinian compliance?
How about quotas for seized assault weapons, rockets, explosives etc. that should be handed over to General Dayton for destruction according to a schedule of benchmarks?
How about a grid map for a cell-by-cell destruction of the threatening Palestinian military fortifications (the tunnel network etc.)?
And what about systematically bulldozing the training camps of the various illegal militias?
This would be an important exercise by all counts:
If the Palestinians refuse to accept such benchmarks -- either on principle or by feigning weakness despite being armed to the teeth -- that would demonstrate that they aren't actually serious about honoring their security obligations.
If the Americans are complacent about the Palestinian position, this would also have significant repercussions.
The experience of setting and realizing benchmarks for Palestinian security compliance can make a critical contribution towards moving away from pie-in-the-sky visions of the "political horizon" that may sound reasonable in parlor discussions but are completely out of touch with the reality on the ground.
Views expressed by the author do not
necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.
 
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