Only recently have Americans felt terror so close to home. But in the Middle East, violence is rarely absent. Peacetime was enjoyed as a week between suicide bombings and troop advancements, and Palestinian terrorists are once again jeopardizing the possibility of peace between the two peoples.

Middle East peace may be an oxymoron, but that doesn’t keep major world powers from trying to accomplish it. The United States co-drafted a peace plan along with the United Nations, European Union and Russia. The plan affirms the need for an independent, sovereign and peaceful Palestinian state and involves the withdrawal of many Israeli settlements from the West Bank and concrete actions taken by the Palestinian government to curb terrorism against Israelis. The Israelis have begun dismantling several outposts, as per the peace plan, but these efforts have been met not with applause, but with violence from Palestinians.

Terrorist groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad are clearly the biggest threat to the peace process, as they continue to demonstrate. Additionally, the hope that many had with the appointment of a Palestinian Prime Minister and cabinet may fade into the same doubt that surrounds Yasser Arafat.

President Bush insisted on delaying the implementation of the “Roadmap to Peace” until the new Palestinian government was formed. The hope was that under new leadership — a leadership without links to terrorism — the Palestinian government would be willing to hunt terrorists inside the Authority’s borders.

Arafat’s commitment to peace has long been questioned. As reported by CNN, in January 2002 the Israeli military seized a shipment of weapons en route to terrorists. Arafat refused any connection with the transfer, but Israeli and U.S. intelligence later established a clear one. On Monday, Press Secretary Ari Fleischer again stated, “Yasser Arafat is an obstacle to peace, [as he] lied to the President about an extraordinarily serious situation, because it involved a shipment of weapons to terrorists that Yasser Arafat said he had nothing to do with, had no knowledge of, when it was proven that he was involved in it.”

The appointment of Prime Minister Abbas was thought by the White House to be a positive step forward in the peace process, but it may soon alter its language concerning the Prime Minister, as it has not yet been made clear that the new Palestinian government is dedicated to ridding the Palestinian Authority of terrorist groups.

On Sunday, yet another attack on Israelis killed four and wounded four more. Three Palestinian perpetrators, dressed in Israeli military uniforms, were also killed in their attack.

Both Israeli Prime Minister Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Abbas vowed that this attack would not deter the peace efforts. But talk is where the similarities stop. The all-too-familiar Palestinian terrorist organizations claimed responsibility for the attacks, refusing to call a ceasefire on Israeli targets despite renewed peace talks.

Prime Minister Sharon has demonstrated a willingness to pursue terrorists and those that support terrorism. After the recent attacks, the Israeli military attacked known Hamas locations, once again showing a dedication to fighting terror. The Israeli military has unfortunately exceeded reasonable boundaries from time to time, especially when dealing with the families of terrorists. The Israeli military has been allowed to bulldoze the homes of suicide bombers, sometimes causing the death of innocent children. As the White House has commented, the new peace initiative requires Israeli respect of Palestinian life and livelihood, which would forbid the destruction of family homes.

A Palestinian commitment to fighting terror will become increasingly important as the peace process continues. Palestinian leadership under Arafat has been supportive, or at least complacent, with attacks on Israeli civilians. The new leadership needs to show concrete dedication to ending violence if they are truly concerned with justice.

Consider how the Palestinians would respond if just one Israeli entered a Muslim holy ceremony and detonated a nail bomb, killing innocent men, women, and children, as Palestinians have done in Israeli weddings and bat mitzvahs.

Both sides of this conflict have the means to end attacks on civilian and non-threatening targets. On the Israeli side, the military must control actions taken that affect those not involved with terror. One must make the distinction, however, between these actions that target terrorists and their resources, and the actions of Palestinian terror groups who seek out civilian targets and attack them in such a way as to cause maximum carnage.

We have yet to see the Palestinian Authority use more than words to attack Palestinian terrorists. Verbal condemnation is good, but action, even when limited by available resources, is better.