Bush expressed condolences late Wednesday over the death of Arafat and reiterated the goal of "an independent, democratic" Palestine.

"The death of Yasser Arafat is a significant moment in Palestinian history. We express our condolences to the Palestinian people," Bush said in a statement.

"For the Palestinian people, we hope that the future will bring peace and the fulfillment of their aspirations for an independent, democratic Palestine that is at peace with its neighbors. During the period of transition that is ahead, we urge all in the region and throughout the world to join in helping make progress toward these goals and toward the ultimate goal of peace," Bush said.

At the first press conference after his re-election, Bush said,"the Middle East peace is a very important part of a peaceful world...And my hope is that we'll make good progress. I think it's very important for our friends the Israelis to have a peaceful Palestinian state living on their border. It's very important for the Palestinian people to have a peaceful, hopeful future."

By judging what Bush said, the US top leader will continue his "road map" designed for the Middle East peace in April 2003, under which a Palestinian state will be officially founded in 2005.

However, plan is not reality after all. The US-proposed "roadmap", as many people believed, has never been put into practice ever since its birth due to increasing violent activities in the occupied territory. Besides, The American partiality to Israel has in one way or another made the situation moving from bad to worse.

The Gaza disengagement plan adopted by Israeli parliament late last month has again demonstrated the partiality of the White House.

It is known that the Israeli plan -- envisaging a withdrawal from Gaza and part of West Bank -- was worked out without the approval of the Palestinian authorities. The Israeli behavior is apparently against the principle of the "road map" under which the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should be settled through bilateral talks. Yet the United States hailed the unilateral plan as "a real opportunity" for progress in the Middle East peace process.

Israeli's unilateral disengagement plan and the stand taken by the Bush administration over the issue naturally encountered opposition from the Palestinians and Arab countries. As soon as the Israelis approved the plan, Arafat and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak issued a joint statement, stressing that Israeli's withdrawal from Gaza and part of West Bank should be the first step to a comprehensive withdrawal from occupied territory. The two leaders insisted that the "road map" plan never be replaced by the Sharon disengagement plan if Israel was sincere toward a peace settlement.

It is generally believed that Bush, who has emerged from the presidential election pressure, is likely to adjust more or less its Mideast policy if he expects to make a headway in the Middle East peace process. If Bush does so, he will have to put more pressure on Israel so that the latter will show sincerity for a resumption of negotiations with Palestinians. Israel must be persuaded to accept a new Palestinian leader, to promise to stop building new Jewish settlements in occupied territory, and to release jailed Palestinians.

A settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is indeed a key to the Middle East peace process. But it is not all. The process should also include a peace settlement between Israel and its Arab neighbors, analysts said.

Ben Gurion, founder of Israel, once said that Israel could not realize peace without Syria. However, the fact is that Syria, once involved in wars with Israel and with its Golan Heights occupied by Israel for decades, has been out of the "road map." What is more, the US-led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the increasing US pressure on Iran over the alleged development of nuclear weapons all have worsened the situation in the Middle East.

In a recent article published by the New York Times, Zbigniew Brezezinski, former US national security adviser, said that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the mess in Iraq and the challenge of a restless and potentially dangerous Iran have become "three most inflammatory and explosive issues" in the Middle East."While each issue is distinct and immensely complex, each affects the others. The three must be tackled simultaneously, and they can be tackled effectively only if America and Europe cooperate and engage the more moderate Muslim states," he said.

Brezezinski's remarks about the key issues in the Middle East sounds reasonable. However, being a key mediator in the Middle East peace process, the US should also keep this in mind: being fair and comprehensive is an essential requirement for a qualified and successful mediator.