A significant difference has opened up between the United States and European leaders over the Middle East peace process between Israel and the Palestinians. Part of a wider disagreement about policy in the international campaign against terrorism following the war in Afghanistan, it centres on the attitude towards Mr Yasser Arafat, president of the Palestinian Authority.
While the US insists he must crack down on terrorist groups, the Europeans emphasise that politics and security must go hand in hand, insisting on Mr Arafat's centrality in the peace process.
At an informal meeting in Spain over the weekend European Union foreign ministers considered a French plan to hold elections in the West Bank and Gaza to give the Palestinian Authority a renewed mandate for the proclamation of an independent state and further peace negotiations. The French foreign minister, Mr Hubert Védrine, has condemned US policy for seeing everything through the lens of a unilateral war against terrorism. Mr Bush's reference to an "axis of evil" involving Iran, Iraq and North Korea has particularly antagonised the French and other EU states.
Mr Bush has refused to give complete endorsement to the Israeli prime minister, Mr Ariel Sharon, who seeks to bypass Mr Arafat and undermine the Palestinian Authority. This week marks the first anniversary of Mr Sharon's election, on a platform pledging "quiet, security and peace". Instead Israel has suffered its bloodiest year in a generation, with at least 200 Israelis and 515 Palestinians having died in the most brutal clashes. Mr Sharon is stuck in a grand coalition with the Labour Party and far right-wing parties, which severely limit his room for manoeuvre. His efforts to gain support from the Bush administration by projecting Israel's opposition to Iran have helped to insulate him from that political impasse.
The European states have an important role to play by virtue of their substantial funding for the Palestinian Authority, their greater independence from the Israelis and their own interests in Middle East peace and stability. But so far they have not created a unified approach. This weekend's meeting saw greater agreement on the vital need for political engagement, which is to be followed up by several visits and further discussion. The French have not convinced the other EU states to accept their plan. But if the EU is serious about taking a political initiative, a unified approach needs to be agreed urgently, if necessary independently of the US.