Although the White House insisted Mr Colin Powell made "some progress" on his Middle East mission which ended yesterday, it is difficult indeed to identify what this might be. Israel's destructive invasion of the West Bank and Gaza continues, with merely the promise of tactical withdrawal from Palestinian cities and towns extracted from Mr Ariel Sharon.
There is no sign of a ceasefire, nor of a readiness by the Palestinian leadership to take decisive action against terrorism. The conflict continues to ripple through the Middle East, putting the possibility of a regional war and the stability of its governments on the agenda.
All this underlines the urgency of tackling the crisis as well as its enduring intractability. President Bush emphasised the latter point in his speech yesterday, recalling his prolonged reluctance to become directly involved and the modest expectations publicly attached to Mr Powell's mission. But US policy remains too pro-Israeli to be an effective mediator on its own. Mr Sharon's invasion has been indulged, his defiant rejection of calls to withdraw tolerated. This raises the question of whether the US is willing to confront him decisively, given the open disagreements within the administration. Few doubt its capacity to do so, given the huge annual flows of financial aid which sustain Israel's military power.
As more details emerge of the brutal destructiveness of the Israeli operation in Jenin, there is mounting and justifiable international anger about these events, extending to influential voices within the Jewish community worldwide. The veteran British Labour Party MP, Mr Gerald Kaufman, speaking in the House of Commons, said Mr Sharon was a "war criminal" who "ordered his troops to use methods of barbarism against the Palestinian people". He went on: "It is time to remind Sharon that the Star of David belongs to all Jews and not to his repulsive government. His actions are staining the Star of David with blood."
It is essential that Israel should co-operate fully with a United Nations inquiry into these events if its reputation as a civilised democracy is to be preserved. The physical and economic damage to the infrastructure of the West Bank and Gaza have also been immense, wiping out years of development, including substantial aid projects from the European Union. It recalls Tacitus's remark, ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant - "when they make a wilderness they call it peace".
This is no way to tackle terrorism or reach a lasting settlement. It is more likely to encourage suicide bombers and lead to regional war. That is why international efforts to restore a peace process must be redoubled, bringing together the United Nations, the US, European governments and Arab states, along with Israel. Objective conditions make an agreement possible, in spite of these terrible weeks for the Palestinian and Israeli people.