B dies eas are in diary and the ush's plans to re-shape the midextends to Israel and Palestine.
The road map, which never promised any justice for the Palestinian people, is in tatters. What remains is naked aggression by the Israeli state. Even if the US administration wanted to rein in Sharon back, which is not at all clear, they have their hands a full elsewhere in the region.
The daily death toll continues - and while they claim their "targeted assassinations" are aimed at group such as Hamas, the reality is that every Palestinian whatever their age is seen as fair game.
When the US media reported two suicide bombers on August 12, each of whom ••• killed one Israeli civilian, they used headlines such as "summer truce shattered in Israel". However during the previous six-week period of "relative quiet" some 17 Palestinians had been killed and at least 59 injured by Israeli soldiers and settlers according to the Palestinian Red Crescent. The reality is that while the Israeli's had reduced their attacks during this period, there had never been a meaningful Israeli ceasefire.
What also remains in place is the unending low-level repression against the Palestinians, most graphically symbolised by the massive "wall" that Israel is now building. The continuous humiliation caused by "closures" of parts of the wall prevents people getting essential medical care, and often separates people from family members for days on end
All of this leaves the position of the new Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas looking increasingty beleaguered. He was under pressure from the Israelis on one side and Hamas on the other.
Until recently it looked like Yasser Arafat was also undermining him too. This wasn't particularly surprising, as Arafat never wanted to cede any power but did so under the cosh of the Americans. There has been prolonged wrangling over recent weeks about which of them should have control of the Palestinian security forces and whether these should be used to carry out a crackdown on Hamas and other dissidents.
Certainly an increasing number of MPs in the Palestinian Parliament were agitating for the Prime Minister's removal because they said he had failed to achieve anything tangible. As a result, and following an emergency Cabinet meeting, Abbas is asking the Parliament as a whole to debate the future of his leadership as we go to press
At this point Arafat seems to have changed direction, calling on Islamist militant groups to resume the truce in order to prevent the collapse of the road map.
"President Arafat calls upon all the Palestinian factions to reiterate their commitment to the truce to give a chance to international peace efforts to implement the road map which the Israeli government refuses to abide by" his statement issued on August 28 said
Earlier he also said he was prepared to use his security forces to crack down on Hamas and others if Israel halted its target ed assassinations.
"I am not prepared to fuel a Palestine civil war. I am, however prepared to implement the law on condition Israel halts its