Everyone says Olmert’s impending resignation ends peace, but I don’t agree
August 1st, 2008There are two factors that have destroyed the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians. Extremist violence on both sides and politics. In the violence, terrorists have used violence on both sides to stop the peace process. And the failure of the peace process has also placed a greater stress on any politician to be courageous enough to do the right thing rather than the politically correct thing.
Violence has continued with or without the peace process, so my feeling is, we should keep talking and the closer we get to peace we should recognize this time, as we did not before, that the violence will worsen and continue even when a final deal is signed. But more importantly is the need for leaders willing to risk their political futures by pursuing peace, which has played with the emotions and frustrations and the patience of the public and especially voters.
Olmert has no future in politics. he could cut a deal today with Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian President, and create a scenario that forces the imposition of a deal the extremists can’t stop this time. That’s why fanatics like Benjamin Netanyahu are so desperate to push Olmert out of office and call for new elections.
Olmert could cut a deal with Abbas, and while it is true it could not be enforced until it is retified by the Knesset, the fact is it could change the dynamics of the public’s thinking. The public wants hope. We need peace not just to stop the violence, eventually, but to also bring sanity to our lives.
He may not be able to stop the corruption probeas, but he could help bring to an end a 60 year conflict by offering a real substantive peace deal to the Palestinians that for any other politician would be so risky their careers might end as the peace process struggles to survive. No politician since Rabin has been willing to risk their political careers. But with not career to risk, Olmert could do what Rabin could not.
Read my column on it at www.ArabWritersGroup.com.
Ray Hanania
www.TheMediaOasis.com
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Ray,
I so much hope you are right. It would probably be the only good thing he did. Nevertheless, despite all, I have some hope as well. I see something changing in Israeli media. I hope that it will last and not be just a short-term trend. B’tselems initiative called “Shooting back” by giving out 100 video cameras to Palestinian families in the West Bank is showing amazing results: for the first time, Israeli news show these videos, like the one of the soldier shooting a young Palestinian from close range. The Army - for once - feels the need to investigate the crime. I very much hope that we will continue to see such testimonies on Israeli TV - something which has been denied and blocked out of the vision of the general Israeli public for decades. And those Israelis who tried to bear witness were simply called liars. I hope that this exposal to reality will lead to a change in Israeli public opinion. I hope. I chose to hope!
I agree with a lot of what you have to say, Ray.
I hope that you are right that Olmert will be able to leave such a legacy, but unfortunately, I don’t think he has the time, or credibility.
However, I like your “multi-track” approach. We can initiate a peace process even before stopping all the violence. It’s not easy to do, because each violent act brings into question the intentions of the other side. But this is exactly what has to happen, to give peace a chance.
I think that it was Rabin who once said something along these lines: “We have to negotiate peace as if there were no war, and we have to wage war as if there were no peace negotiations.” In other words, we have to separate the two, and be diligent in our efforts to both defend ourselves, and at the same time, to broker a peace.
I believe in creating good paying jobs in the West Bank by producing green energy products. I believe this would be a symbolic way of showing a possible path toward peace. If such a project were successful, it could attract worldwide attention and more investment dollars, for more such projects, for more such jobs, for more such protection of the environment, and for more such neutralizing of extremist thinking. Saudi financing would be the icing on the cake, whereby we convert oil profits into green profit.
Such a project should continue even if occasional violence continues, because we cannot afford to let the extremists on either side to set the agenda. And with good paying jobs on the table, and with an ideological framework that makes more sense, we are likely to garner the support of moderates on both sides, who will help us to take on the extremists on both sides.
What do you think?
Whatever political force is in charge of either country, one will first have to defeat the monster of the arms trade and culture that now runs rampant over them. Consider how much the manufacture, trade and use of weaponry is critical to the political and economic engines of both Israel and Palestine, and then consider how those who profit from this atmosphere, who gain their power and influence from it, regard a general cessation of hostilities and peaceful co-existence.
Imagine the leaders of Fatah, Hamas and all the other groups getting together and saying “hey, this is freaking futile and is making conditions here a hell on earth! We’re adopting a policy of complete non-violence towards the Israelis from now on, only having weapons for our police force, but we would really appreciate that all the support certain countries have been giving us only come in the form of investment and humanitarian aid from now on.”
On the Israeli side: “Y’know, it’s a massive drain on our economy to use a big chunk of our military to act as prison guards for the Palestinians. We’re going to draw a line, that will be our border and no more settler bullshit, and military service will just be volunteer from now on. We’re also scaling back our weapons production, oh, and can someone call the US and tell them and the lobbyists we don’t need the whole foreign aid=armaments thing anymore?”
Think about all the people that such announcements would affect and what they would do to ensure those policies didn’t happen.
I completely agree with Ray that peaceful industry is the only lasting solution, but when the competitors for labour use blood, death and fear as their HR plans, it can be daunting. I’d also be eager to see those videos Eva mentioned. Is there any chance of a link or perhaps a section here where one can view them (hint hint).