Andrew Overman: Can a day make a difference?

Set aside the haste with which this event was convened. Here are steps that can make it meaningful.

By Andrew Overman

Last update: November 26, 2007 - 5:39 PM

Today in Annapolis is a one-day Mideast peace conference. You might call it a drive-through summit.

Never before in Mideast peace talks has so much been attempted in so short a time. Palestinian and Israeli teams were notified in late September of a "possible meeting sometime in November." Only recently were negotiators told of the date and place. In the last few days countries have been added to the guest list while others debate whether to attend.

Disorganized? Last minute? Too little, too late? Certainly.

But even with the chaotic lead-up, the stakes remain high. Participants on all sides have said repeatedly that the cost of failure this time will be enormous. Failure to produce meaningful results will further weaken or bring down an Israeli government headed by beleaguered Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Failure will strengthen Hamas in their civil war against rival Fatah and current President Mahmoud Abbas. Should this occur, the result will be a resurgence of violence, a strengthening of those factions advocating violence, and greater suffering in Gaza and the West Bank. And just as important will be the continued erosion of civil society and any hope for a future among the young in Palestine and Israel. In many ways this has been the greatest fatality in the conflict.

The United States also has a lot at stake. We are in desperate need of some kind of success in the Middle East. Our stock has never been lower in that part of the world. Brokering peace, or making progress on the thorny Israel-Palestine issues, would restore some faith in us and our role in the region.

While today's meeting has been rushed and poorly planned, there is a sense that it is a crucial moment for all involved. What would make the Annapolis meeting successful?

•With the two main delegations, the United States should take the dramatic step of setting a date for the establishment of the Palestinian state. Abbas and Olmert have little to lose and much to gain from this.

•Prepare for the violence that will arise leading up to this date and do not let it derail the commitments made in Annapolis.

•Assign a permanent, very senior envoy to live in Jerusalem and Ramallah and work out the details of statehood prior to the date. This includes Palestinian right of return and compensation, precise borders between the two states, land swaps, and the status of East and West Jerusalem.

•Implement immediately a plan for the development of Palestine, including investments in infrastructure, education and health. Despite the poverty of their people, Palestinians are among the best-educated in the Arab world. Economic growth is the best hope for the future of the new Palestinian state. The United States should partner with the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and international banks. Jobs and a future in Palestine are linked to security in the region.

Yes, today's meeting is a long shot. One day set aside for peace in the Middle East, sandwiched between photo-ops, does not seem sufficient or logical. But these few bold steps might bring much-needed success to what has seemed for too long like an unsolvable conflict.

Andrew Overman is a professor of classics at Macalester College in St. Paul.

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