MIDDLE EAST: Yesterday's Israeli military operations against Palestinian militants in Gaza and the West Bank which killed 10 Palestinians overshadowed Arab reaction to the road map to a final settlement, delivered to the Israeli and Palestinian authorities on Wednesday.
While certain members of the Palestinian establishment and Arab politicians showed interest, commentators and citizens are deeply sceptical about the motives of the road map's authors and pessimistic about the possibility of implementation.
"Nothing has changed in Palestine. The killing goes on. There may be a new document on the table, but how many documents have we seen over the past three years?" Abduh, a businessman, demanded.
"The Mitchell recommendations, the Tenet ceasefire plan, the Zinni plan," he said, ticking off the latest series of proposals on his fingers.
"The road map is a map along a road to nowhere. It conditions progress solely on the ability of the Palestinians to halt attacks on Israel."
He made the point that the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mr Yasser Arafat, could not impose a ceasefire on Palestinian militants, even those in his own Fatah movement.
"If Arafat, Mr Palestine, couldn't manage, how do these Westerners think Abu Mazen [the new Palestinian Prime Minister] can?" he asked.
The Egyptian President, Mr Hosni Mubarak, warned against sidelining Mr Arafat, seen as the only Palestinian figure capable of carrying out the requirements of the road map.
"In our view," the businessman asserted, "this plan is just another time-waster.
"Bush does not want to confront the Israeli lobby at home by presenting a serious proposal and Sharon has no intention of carrying out the requirements of the road map by withdrawing his troops from Palestinian areas, ending assassinations and freezing settlements.
"If he tried his coalition would fall apart. Eventually, Abu Mazen will not be able to end violence and he will be dumped just like Arafat."
The Arab News, a Saudi newspaper, adopted a similar attitude toward the road map: "The most important part of the plan will not be the document. It will be US President George Bush's commitment to it.
"Nearly a year after he promised to do his best to forge a peace process between Israelis and Palestinians, both sides are asking does he mean it?"
A Syrian historian observed, as she read through the full text of the road map: "Bush will do nothing to upset the Israeli lobby, certainly not when the next election is just over a year and a half away."
She also said that everything depends on the ability of the new Palestinian government to get anti-Israeli militancy under control, draft a constitution acceptable to the sponsors of the road map and carry out reforms.
"The Palestinians must provide the engine of the vehicle which is going to go along the road to the two-state solution.
"The Israelis only have to produce a little fuel or place an obstacle in the road once the Palestinians go a certain distance.
"The road map approach is not balanced. It is too complicated. At every stage the Israelis will be able to halt the journey," she stated.
"We have a saying in Arabic which fits: 'After an effort he explained water with water,' meaning he went to great pains to produce nothing."
A political adviser to the Lebanese cabinet argued that the road map would not give the Palestinians the independent state they demand but, she said: "Abu Mazen must embrace it with enthusiasm, not ask for changes. There is no chance that Sharon will move ahead with it.
"The Palestinians must play politics with the road map to put Sharon in the wrong."