Following the Aqaba summit, 79 percent of the Palestinians supported Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and wanted to give peace a chance, while the Israelis under the leadership of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon did not waste time in undermining the process by doing everything in their power to jump-start the cycle of violence.

Sharon was never elected as a man of peace; he was elected as the tough army general whose policies are summarized in hitting the Palestinians hard and forcing them to both submit and leave, or to react violently, which in return empowers the warmonger who is only fluent in the language of death and war.

Over the past two months, Israeli troops killed 76 Palestinians, mostly civilians. There were at least eight illegal assassination attempts violating the U.S.-led world desire for building trust and easing life on the occupied Palestinians in accordance with the road map. Over 100 homes were demolished during Israeli incursions into Palestinian urban areas.

Even though it is impossible to control the actions of revengeful Palestinians with nothing to lose, it is time for Palestinians to rise above the Sharon provocations by avoiding any reaction that dehumanizes and hurts the just Palestinian cause.

One can only hope that sanity will prevail during these chaotic times and that Hamas and Islamic Jihad will reconsider their actions and thwart Israel's attempts to unleash a new cycle of violence that threatens to be more lethal than anything endured thus far.

SAMER SHIHABI
San Diego