Apparently, no breakthroughs for a final Palestinian-Israeli peace accord are expected at the Millennium Summit in New York. President Clinton clearly asserted that the summit has failed to provide a forum for progress in the Middle East Process. What now?

As far as Barak is concerned, President Arafat is “inflexible.” “Until now, we didn’t find a responsive partner on the other side,” he said, adding that the door was still open. In short, Barak unhesitatingly seems to point the finger at Arafat, arguably putting intense pressure on the Palestinians to back down on their “rightful” claims.

The international community must not be deceived by Israel’s shortsighted attempt to escape its responsibility of putting an end to the conflict. The Palestinians have legal rights that must be upheld, and it is only through this that the peace process shall truly succeed.