Geneva Accord is a sane proposal in a mad conflict

0 Comments | Philadelphia Inquirer, The, November, 2003 | by Trudy Rubin

The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians looks so hopeless that only crazy people can still imagine a solution.

But, lo and behold, two ex-cabinet ministers, one Israeli, one Palestinian, have been daft - or brave - enough to put forward a detailed plan for a final agreement that lays out plausible solutions for the most divisive issues.

Called the Geneva Accord, the plan has no official standing. (Yasir Arafat vaguely backed it, Ariel Sharon's Likud Party denounced it). But that is precisely its virtue.

The plan aims to go over the heads of leaders who have propelled their people toward disaster, and to appeal directly to the two publics. At a time when the official peace process is dead, the Geneva Accord shows a way out.

"On both sides......