(IPS) feature After 13 months of Palestinian 'intifadah' or uprising and more than 950 deaths, the cycle of violence appears unending in the Middle East, and might well threaten the US-led coalition in its campaign against terrorism.

Many were hoping that the recent diplomatic boost the Palestinian cause received from the United States and Europe, particularly Britain, after the Sept 11 terror attacks would signal a positive turn in the peace process.

Coming amid what seemed to be a realisation that the crisis over international terrorism had something to do with the Palestinian cause and what critics call the 'fundamentally flawed' American approach to the Middle Eastern conflict, the statements from White House and Downing Street were welcome.

But then came the jolt with last month's assassination of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi, the first Israeli Cabinet minister to ever be assassinated - a revenge killing by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, whose leader Abu Ali Mustafa had been shot dead as part of Israel's policy of ''targeted killing'' a few months ago.

What followed was Mayhem: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon cut all contacts with the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and sent his army into six PNA-administered towns in the West Bank, which unleashed a new wave of violence, claiming more than 50 lives in 10 days.

Palestinian political analyst Ghasan Al Khatib says, ''Israel's ability to reoccupy Palestinian-ruled areas at will has set a precedent which threatens arrangements that took effect after the Oslo interim peace accords were signed in 1993.''

Israel has since withdrawn from two towns after coming under intense pressure from the US administration. But a lot of damage has already been done - not just for the Muslims, but also for the Christian community because of the Israeli government's violent actions in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, which is a PNA-controlled area.

Road block an act of terror

Archbishop Hanna Atallah, spokesperson of the Greek Orthodox Church in the Holy Land, says: ''Throughout the past 2,000 years, the road between Jerusalem and Bethlehem has never been blocked the way it was the last few days. In the era of Israeli occupation, these two cities were separated by force and this in itself is an act of terror and racism that contradicts all spiritual values of civilisation and humanity.''

Dr Musa Keilani, a Jordan-based journalist, says: ''It was no knee-jerk reaction - the no-holds-barred approach Israel assumed following Bush's public endorsement that Washington always saw the creation of a Palestinian state as the natural outcome of the peace process.''

''Sharon understood that Bush's comments reflected an implicit realisation that the attacks on the United States had some link with the Muslim and Palestinian frustrations. Israel could ill-afford that realisation in a serving American president,'' he adds.

Sharon's ministers took the issue to the extent of warning Bush that the bipartisan support that Israel enjoys in the US Congress was enough to ensure that the president would be overridden on the issue of Palestinian independence and statehood.

Best bargaining chip

But the Arabs also realise that they have their best bargaining chip in recent history - the Muslim world's support for the US-led attacks in Afghanistan. And the United States apparently understands this.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the two Middle East powers and the US' closest allies in the region, have repeatedly called for proactive international intervention to stem the crisis and that voice seems to have gathered pitch after Sept 11.

Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah Abdul Aziz said, ''The international community must deplore and condemn aggression by Israeli occupation authorities against the Palestinians, as the world wages war on all forms of international terrorism.''

Commenting on a link between the Sept 11 attacks and US and other countries' policies toward the Middle East, Mubarak said: ''The world will never see the end of terrorism if the Palestinian question is not resolved.''

And, like in all crises, the common people are the worst hit.

Businesses badly hit

Abu Ahmad, a Palestinian boutique owner in Ramallah, says: ''We have not been making any business lately. I come to my shop in the morning, open up, read newspapers and go home sometimes without even selling a single pair of trousers.''

He says that in the beginning, he managed to cope with the challenge. But after a whole year of poor business, his saving has diminished and he would soon find himself unable to buy basic needs for his family.

In the past, he recalls, there were always ups and downs. ''Today, we are witnessing a phenomenon of continued deterioration in which you find yourself spending more and more money while having no income''.

Abu Ahmad says that all he needs, along with thousands of business owners in the Palestinian areas, is to return to normal life for some time, and see if a political deal can still be reached. ''We do not fight for the sake of fighting but in order to achieve a better position in future talks and I guess that is exactly what will happen,'' he adds.

Equal partner in quest for peace

According to Shawqi Issa, executive director of the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment: ''As long as the international community fails to take a strong position against the crimes being committed by Israel, this same community shares responsibility of gross violations of human rights being committed on a daily basis against Palestinians.''

PV Vivekanand, editor of a Gulf daily, says: ''The worst mistake Israel ever made in the Middle East peace process was taking the Palestinian people for granted and assuming that the decades of brutal occupation have co-opted them into accepting that they were not a match to Israel's military might and, as such, they should be thankful to whatever Israel was willing to offer them.''

Agreements were reached, he says, but they involved Palestinian compromises more than Israeli ''concessions''.

Keilani says, ''The requirements of peace are clear. The Israeli leadership should treat its Palestinian counterpart as an equal partner in the quest for peace instead of looking at it as an enemy to be handled with contempt and hostility.''