Mahmoud Abbas took the oath of office, as he stood in front of the Palestinian president at his West Bank compound, becoming the first Palestinian Prime Minister and shifting all eyes on him. His speech before the Palestinian Legislative Council laid out a very ambitious plan, but many internal and external difficulties lie ahead that will test Abu Mazen’s resilience and effectiveness as the leader of a better tomorrow for Palestinians.

With so much riding on his success, Mahmoud Abbas must quickly prove his skills as a politician and survive a balancing act that includes “ending the armed chaos” without triggering civil war, easing powers away from Arafat without being accused of betraying a national symbol, and re-establishing trust with Israel without abandoning key positions.

There is much work to be done to regain the prominence of the Palestinian Authority, both in Palestine and the international community. The reform minded Prime Minister said he would concentrate on security, national development and reforms.

Abu Mazen has committed to developing security services according to law and to adopt a no tolerance policy towards breach of discipline or violations of the law, including the unauthorized possession of weapons. Moreover, he stated the government will prepare a comprehensive national development plan (that includes Jerusalem) in which we will devote sufficient attention to the service and economic sectors and we will provide necessary health, education, culture, media and agriculture services to citizens. Finally, he pledged to continue fighting corruption within the PA and to adopt reforms that will restore the credibility of the Palestinian government in the eyes of its people and the international community.

The new Palestinian cabinet paved the way for the release of the long awaited road map, and has set a renewed peace initiative in process. With Assistant Secretary of State William Burns expected to arrive in the region soon, followed by a visit from Secretary of State Colin Powell on May 8th, this is the US administration's most intense attempt at peacemaking. Bush has personally said he will “push and push” to implement the peace plan set out by the Quartet and warned both Israelis and Palestinians not to change any of the deadlines outlined in the roadmap.

Both the success of the new Palestinian cabinet and the road map largely depend on US willingness to press Israel to carry out its obligations under the road map in a timely and effective manner. This will prove to be the ultimate test of Bush’s commitment, as applying pressure on Israel has always been politically risky for a president nearing elections. An attempt to hinder the success of the road map and place unrealistic demands on the Palestinians by 87 senators and 297 congressmen must be resisted by the US administration through vigorously promoting and pursuing a level-handed approach to solving the conflict.

However all efforts, no matter how sincere, will be destined to fail if Palestinians do not find a true peace partner. Israel can derail all reforms if it does not respond to Palestinian demands, including an Israeli pullback, a rapid easing of conditions to alleviate the devastated Palestinian economy and the escalating humanitarian crisis, and a halt in raids into areas still under Palestinian control. Without a commitment by Israel to end the occupation and meet Abu Mazen half way, the road map will lead to another dead end.

With Palestinian hopes and aspiration now squarely placed on Abu Mazen to reinvigorate the peace process and deliver a viable Palestinian state, he faces an overwhelming task. Perhaps Mr. Powell, commenting on why he has postponed his visit to the occupied territories, summed it up best when he said, "he (Abu Mazen) has some work to do, and I don't want to burden him on Day 1."