The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has already taken far too great a toll.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Monday called off a planned summit with his Palestinian counterpart Ahemed Qorie, which would have been the first such high-level talks in eight months.

The scheduled meeting was an attempt to revive the US-brokered roadmap plan for a comprehensive and lasting Arab-Israeli peace and creation of an independent Palestinian state by 2005.

But Sunday's double suicide bombing which killed 10 Israelis and wounded at least 20 in the heavily guarded port of Ashdod prompted Sharon's decision.

The deadly blast was the first fatal attack on a strategic asset by militants from Gaza, which is fenced off from Israel, since a Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation began in September 2000.

The Islamic fundamentalist group Hamas and the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, an armed faction of the mainstream Palestinian movement Fatah, claimed joint responsibility, saying the attack was a revenge for Israel's recent killings of Palestinian militants.

In retaliation for the bombing, Israel launched air raids against suspected Hamas targets in Gaza and planned to escalate strikes on militant leaders.

This "eye for an eye" mentality will only contribute to further hostility and hamper international efforts to revive the peace process in the region.

Palestinian militants in Gaza have been stepping up attacks in recent weeks in response to Sharon's proposal to withdraw from all or most of Gaza if peace talks remain frozen.

Israel blames the Palestinian authorities' failure to rein in militants for the impasse in peacemaking. The Palestinians maintain that Israel's military crackdowns and a new West Bank barrier due to take in settlement blocs only increase the militants' motivation.

Meanwhile, attacks on civilians and the continuation of military escalation harm both sides.

An immediate mutual ceasefire is necessary to put an end to the continuing violence in the region.

The best way to respond to this vicious cycle is to speed up the negotiations between the two parties, as the fundamental causes of the Israel-Palestine conflict are disputes over territory and religion which can only be solved through political negotiations.

In this sense, Sharon's decision to cancel the planned meeting adds nothing to the effort to revive the peace process.

Worse, in addition to ruling out peace talks with the Palestinians, Sharon, in a speech to Israel's parliament on Monday, reaffirmed his commitment to the controversial, go-it-alone "Disengagement Plan."

Sharon has pledged that if peace efforts remain at an impasse, he will take unilateral steps that involve a withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the West Bank but also cost Palestinians large tracts of land they want for a state.

The withdrawal, as a good beginning, should be coordinated through talks between the two parties and the framework of the roadmap.

An independent, self-governing Palestine is key to stabilizing the Middle East. Comprehensive security for the region cannot be expected if the Palestinians continue to be deprived of their livelihood and dignity.

The only valid tradeoff for saving the peace process and resuming negotiations is the principle of "land for peace."

(China Daily March 17, 2004)