Mideast peace process in jeopardy

Israel effectively escalated tensions on its northern border with Lebanon when it "annexed" the village of Arnoun to its self- declared "security zone" in South Lebanon.

We suspect that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has chosen to heat up the conflict with Lebanon and Syria in the run- up to the Israeli general election next May.

As his predecessor Shimon Peres learned in 1996, encroaching on more Lebanese territory or being tough on Hezbollah guerrillas will not improve Israeli security. The opposite is true. Hezbollah forces are not likely to respond to the latest Israeli move stoically.

When Netanyahu attended the funeral of King Hussein not quite two weeks ago, he promised a new beginning for the peace process. He returned from the funeral to his country saying he was determined to conclude peace treaties with Damascus and Beirut.

Typical of the Israeli leader, he never delivered on his promises. In fact, Netanyahu reneged even sooner than usual on his pledge for peace by setting the stage once again for another derailment of the peace process on the Syrian and Lebanese fronts.

-- The Jordan Times, Amman