On her maiden voyage as secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice will meet with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. She will encourage the “peace process” by offering American support and assistance to his new government while insisting that it work with Israel as a partner in economics and security. She will repeat a crucial mistake of her predecessors.

It was a mistake to demand that Yasser Arafat deal with Israel as a “partner” while his major Arab/Islamic patrons and enemies maintained a war footing against the Jewish State. The effect was to require Arafat, never a brave man, to be braver in his politics than the Saudis, Iraqis, Iranians, Libyans, and Syrians. He coped. For money and political support from the West, Arafat showed a reasonable, accommodating face – in English. For money, political support and a measure of personal security from the Arab states, he showed his other face – in Arabic.

The dichotomy was never resolved.

It makes no sense from the American point of view to demand that Abbas work closely with Israel before most of the Arab world has come to terms with the legitimacy of Jewish sovereignty in the region. Ms. Rice should, of course, press the Palestinians to stop ongoing incitement to violence in their official media and to take steps to disarm terrorist groups. These are requirements for Palestinian-American relations; America simply cannot be in the position of supporting any government that does less than that.

In the meantime, Ms. Rice should focus on the states in the region whose acquiescence and active assistance are necessary to give the Palestinian leadership the confidence to work with Israel. This means renewed American emphasis on United Nations Resolution 242 and the obligation accruing to the Arab states: “Termination of all claims or states of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgement of the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political independence of every State in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force.”

The termination of Arab states of war and their undertaking to deal with Israel as a legitimate country would give Abbas more fortitude to make decisions without worrying about being undermined by his Arab/Muslim brothers. Or to put it another way, it would remove the rationale for having him say one thing in English and another in Arabic. Encouraging honesty or taking away his best excuse for duplicity – either way works.

An added benefit would be that Israel would gain confidence in Abbas’s ability to actually deliver on whatever terms he agrees to, something Arafat never could.

Emphasis on U.N. Resolution 242 and the obligations of the countries in the region is consonant with President Bush’s landmark June 2002 speech, in which he laid out obligations for the Palestinians in order to gain American acceptance of even a provisional Palestinian state. He called for:

* Leaders not compromised by terror.

* A practicing democracy, based on tolerance and liberty.

* Entirely new political and economic institutions, based on democracy, market economics, and action against terrorism.

* Anew constitution that separates the powers of government … a Parliament with the full authority of a legislative body. Local officials and government ministers [with] authority of their own and the independence to govern effectively.

* Major project of economic reform and development … reforms in Palestinian finances, encouraging transparency and independent auditing.

* A system of reliable justice … a truly independent judiciary.

* Rebuild and reform the Palestinian security services … clear lines of authority and accountability and a unified chain of command.

These are not insignificant and will require time and patience. They may, in fact, not be accomplished during Abbas’s first term. If he is also required to defy the vast majority of Arab/Muslim states in his dealings with Israel, they may be impossible.

America must encourage Middle East peace, not just Palestinian-Israeli peace. To do so, Ms. Rice should focus the attention of the countries in the region and our Quartet partners on defensible borders for Israel acquired through Arab acceptance of the legitimacy of the state of Israel – as required by U.N. Resolution 242.

Ms. Bryen is director of special projects for the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs in Washington.