A YOUNG Palestinian yesterday demonstrated the futility of the current state of affairs in the Middle East.

By killing himself and eight people on a crowded bus, the suicide bomber showed that acts of terrorism only harden attitudes in Israel.

And he also showed that Israel's military offensive on the West Bank was no defence against determined Palestinians seeking martyrdom.

In the current cycle of tit-for-tat atrocity, there is no hope for peace.

As Tony Blair told the Commons yesterday: "The sad, simple truth is that the hatreds are too deep, and the wounds too raw, for the two sides to be able to resolve this alone."

The case for mediation from a trusted third party is overwhelming. However, it remains to be seen whether Secretary of State Colin Powell will be able to fulfil that role when he arrives in the region today.

It is now exactly a week since President Bush warned Israel to pull back from the occupied territories and said that he was dispatching General Powell to try to bring about a ceasefire.

Sadly, the urgency with which the US administration saw the conflict was not reflected in General Powell's travel arrangements.

Why has it taken him seven days and a circuitous route to reach the region?

The Palestinians believe the delay has been engineered to allow Israel to complete its military offensive and pull out of occupied territories by the time he arrived.

And therein lies the dilemma for General Powell. While he is a much respected statesman, the United States is viewed in the Arab world as being staunchly pro-Israel.

The suspicion of collusion between the US and Israel has to undermine his credentials as a mediator.

Nevertheless, we wish him luck. At the present time, he appears to be the only realistic hope of bringing back the warring sides from the brink of catastrophe.

His first task has to be to persuade both sides that there is nothing to be gained until the endless round of violence comes to an end, and constructive negotiations get under way.