Not at all. According to the document, the Quartet must take all decisions unanimously. The Americans have a veto, which means that Sharon has a veto. Without his agreement, nothing can be decided. Need more be said?
Second question: When will it end?
Well, there is no clear-cut timetable for passing from one phase to the next. The document vaguely mentions several vague dates, but they are difficult to take seriously. The first phase should have started in October 2002, and come to a close in May 2003. In the real world, the Map will be shown to the Israelis and the Palestinians for the first time in May, and only then will the serious haggling begin. Nobody can foresee when the implementation of the first phase will actually begin. And in the meantime ...
It should be remembered: in the Oslo agreements many dates were fixed, and almost all of them were missed (generally by the Israeli side). As the good Rabin declared: "There are no sacred dates."
Third question: Is there any kind of balance between the obligations on the two parties? The answer must be "no."
In the first phase, the Palestinians must stop the armed intifada, establish close security cooperation with the Israelis, and recognize Israel's right to exist in peace and security. They must also appoint an "empowered" Prime Minister (meaning, in effect, the neutralization of the elected president, Yassir Arafat) and start the drafting of a constitution that will meet with the approval of the Quartet.56
What must Israel do at the same time? It must enable Palestinian officials (note: officials; this does not apply to the rest of the population) to move from place to place, improve the humanitarian situation, stop attacks on civilians and the demolition of homes, and pay the Palestinians the money due to them. Also, it will dismantle "settlement outposts" erected since Sharon came to power, in violation of the government's guidelines. Who will decide to whom this applies? There is also no mention of freezing settlement activity in this phase.
Does anyone believe that Prime Minister Abu Mazen could put an end to Hamas and (Islamic) Jihad attacks without any political quid pro quo at all, and while the settlements keep expanding?
After this phase, the Palestinians must reform their institutions and create a constitution "based on strong parliamentary democracy" (they will not be allowed to have an American presidential system, for fear of Arafat retaining some powers). Only then, "as comprehensive security performance moves forward," will the Israeli army "withdraw