SENATOR LINCOLN CHAFEE represented Rhode Island in the U.S.Senate for seven years. He is the former Chairman of the Middle East Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

NOAH ENDURED 40 DAYS AND 40 NIGHTS OF RAIN; THE ISRAELITES WANDERED IN the desert for 40 years; Moses was on the Mount for 40 days. Jesus fasted, prayed and was tempted by the devil for 40 days in the desert; between His crucifixion and His ascension into heaven, Jesus spent 40 days with His disciples. The prophet Muhammad began to receive the word of God-the Quran-from the angel Gabriel when he was 40 years old; within four years he had converted a group of 40 followers. In Judaism and Christianity, the number 40 signifies a time of probation or trial; in Islam, it is associated with a time of spiritual birth and growth. As I reflect on the 40th anniversary of the war, I believe that the symbolism of all three religions applies. Certainly, the past 40 years have been a period of immense trial; peace in the Middle East eludes us still. And yet, perhaps it is possible that we stand on the threshold of a new era.

The Six Day War is unique in the Arab-Israeli struggle, in that it gave rise to the very basis on which peace might be achieved: land for peace. Although President Johnson failed to prevent war from breaking out between Israel and her Arab neighbors, consumed as he was with Vietnam, his diplomacy in its aftermath succeeded in producing UN Resolution 242 "Concerning Principles for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Middle East." It garnered the unanimous support of the Security Council on November 22, 1967, and endures to this day as the foundation for any peace settlement. On this watershed anniversary, what is the status of efforts to build a lasting structure on that foundation? During my years in the U.S. Senate, it did seem that the elements finally were in place to succeed. On June 24, 2002, President Bush gave a historic, even radical, speech, in which he outlined his vision for a permanent, two-state solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. He was boldly charting new territory for an American leader. This speech was followed in April 2003 by a detailed, performance-based plan-the socalled Road Map. This astonishing document set forth concrete steps and a timeline for creating a viable, contiguous Palestinian state living side by side in peace with Israel. Trying to build on the momentum created by Iraqi optimism after the toppling of Saddam Hussein and the existence of a strong U.S. blueprint for peace, King Abdullah invited Prime Ministers Sharon and Abbas and President Bush to the Jordanian seaside resort city of Aqaba on June 4, 2003. At Aqaba, Prime Minister Sharon articulated Israel's commitment to a democratic Palestinian state. And for the first time, a Palestinian leader declared to the Israelis and to the world, "a renunciation of terror against the Israelis wherever they might be." President Bush announced that he would make the Road Map the priority of his administration, and had appointed a Special Envoy, John Wolf.

Was this all empty rhetoric? Because weeks passed. Finally, Prime Minister Abbas traveled to the United States to plead with President Bush. He would not be able to contain Palestinian anger absent visible progress on any of three points on the Road Map: Palestinian prisoners held by Israel without charges; the construction of new settlements; or the route of the security barrier. President Bush issued a supportive statement, but as Ambassador Wolf later acknowledged, the U.S. did not match word with deed.

Then, on August 19, a ghastly suicide bomb attack on a bus in Jerusalem killed twenty people. The Israelis clamped down, understandably, and the opportunity to make progress on the Road Map was gone.

Despite the discouraging train of events in 2003 and 2004, despite the Palestinian violence and Israeli intransigence and U.S. inaction, another chance for peace presented itself in the spring of 2005, after the death of Yasser Arafat. Mahmoud Abbas was elected president of the Palestinian Authority, with a strong mandate in a high-turnout election. We should have done everything possible to bolster this moderate leader, this strong voice for nonviolence who is a true partner for peace. But within five months President Abbas was back at the White House, beseeching President Bush for help in quelling unrest in the territories, to shore up moderate political support. Again, the President made a strong statement, but the evidence is clear that there was no intensive diplomatic effort to back it up. Palestinian elections were held shortly thereafter, in January 2006. As President Abbas had feared, Hamas-a violent organization with a genocidal charter-won a majority of seats in the 132-seat Palestinian Legislative Council. Another precious opportunity was squandered. The U.S. now stands at an allor- nothing point in the Middle East.

A firm U.S. commitment to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is the only hope for success, and I contend that vigorous U.S. leadership on the Road Map is also a critical component of the U.S. effort to bring any semblance of peace and stability to Iraq. The leaders of Jordan, Egypt and Syria, the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, administration officials, and President Bush himself have all made statements affirming this linkage.

The Administration is turning its attention once again, at least superficially, to the Israeli- Palestinian peace process, although conditions are not auspicious. For example, it remains to be seen how the Saudi-brokered Fatah-Hamas unity government will factor into the equation. But forge ahead we must.

In 1967, the PLO presciently stated that "unresolved, the Palestinian problem will continue to endanger peace and security not only in the Middle East, but the entire world." In the 40 years that have elapsed, the tragic truth of this statement has been proven with every bomb dropped or detonated. Jordan's King Abdullah said not long ago, "My father used to say that he wants peace for his children and our children's children. He was talking about us. Do I now have to start saying I want peace for my children and our children's children? The Middle East cannot wait that long." The real meaning of this anniversary is that we do not have another 40 years.We need peace now.