WASHINGTON, Oct 27 (AFP) - President George W. Bush and his Democratic rival John Kerry support Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Gaza withdrawal plan, but neither has outlined a post-election strategy for for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Having stood firmly behind the withdrawal plan in recent months, while some countries have been less than convinced, the US government was quick to welcome the Israeli parliament's backing for the Gaza withdrawal in a vote on Tuesday.
The United States hopes the step will breathe new life into the roadmap, the US-inspired international peace plan for the Middle East that has virtually ground to a halt in recent months.
"We have made it clear that it is America's belief" that the Gaza disengagement plan "offers real opportunity for progress and a return to the political process," State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said.
"Israeli disengagement from Gaza, if done in a way consistent with the roadmap and with the support of the international community, has the potential to move both parties closer to a realization of the president's two-state vision," he added.
The department also noted that the withdrawal should not be an end in itself but part of a negotiated overall settlement.
Bush and Kerry support the pullout from Gaza as they sprint toward Tuesday's presidential election in which the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has had a low profile.
Both candidates have basically underscored traditional US support for Israel and slammed Palestinian Authority chief Yasser Arafat, saying he has clouded chances for peace, without being very specific about what their plans would be after November 2.
"Their shared commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict masks a fundamental divergence over the degree to which the US should be engaged in trying to end the violence and revive negotiations," said Scott Lasensky, a Middle East expert at the US Institute of Peace (USIP).
"While Bush elevates Palestinian reform above the political process, Kerry would likely focus as much on Palestinian institution-building as he does on finding a path toward achieving a two-state settlement."
But for other experts, the lack of progress towards a permanent peace leaves the candidates little room to maneuver aside from supporting the withdrawal from Gaza and pressing to keep Arafat sidelined.
"It is possible that for cosmetic reasons the administration, either Bush or his successor, might wish to be seen as being more active," said Robert Lieber, a professor of international relations at Georgetown University here.
"But substantively it is a catastrophe because of what Arafat has done over four years, and I think even the Europeans are aware of that."
"So it is very difficult to see how this can be moved along, unless or until the situation changes with Arafat."
10/27/2004 16:40 GMT - AFP