The Enemy of My Enemy
October 30th, 2009My wife and I just returned home from a three-week visit to Israel. To be accurate, we also visited the Palestinian West Bank for a day; a profoundly memorable day at that.
In some ways, our trip followed familiar patterns: visiting family and friends, taking in the wondrous landscapes and vistas, and enjoying the delicious foods with utter abandon. But in other ways, at least some of our experiences seemed to defy normal expectations, and seemed to negate the usual narratives we have come to know.
In the West Bank, for example, we were honored to meet a man who is probably the wealthiest Palestinian on earth, who lives in a palatial mansion he built, and who employs some 60,000 people, second only to the government itself. Did you know that such people live in the West Bank? In Nazareth, we met a Christian Israeli Arab, a builder who has constructed thousands of homes in Israel and Europe, and who hosted us for a delicious meal, along with some 200 Jewish Israelis, as a sign of friendship, and as a willingness to build bridges. At the Dead Sea we spoke to a Jewish billionaire who builds industrial parks for Jews and Arabs to work together because he believes that jobs will bring peace. In Jerusalem, we met the director of a think tank, a Jew who devotes himself to exposing discrimination against Israeli Arabs, in an attempt to perfect Israel’s democracy. In these and other ways, our trip defied normal conventions.
But what of the prospect for peace in the Middle East; the perennial question of our time?
Actually, I came home even more convinced than ever, that there is at least a decent chance for peace, but not because of what you might expect. You might think that people on both sides are tired of war. Well yes, but that will not bring peace, in and of itself. You might think that Israel is sick and tired of world condemnation. Well yes, but that too will not bring peace.
So what then will bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians? What is likely to work now, when so many other attempts have failed before? Only one thing: the need to thwart a common enemy.
It comes as no surprise that Fattah and Hamas are engaged in an existential struggle for survival. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that Hamas is a knife at the throat of Fattah. The more moderate elements of Fattah in the West Bank do not want to see a Hamas takeover of the West Bank, as took place in Gaza. To meet the threat of Hamas, Fattah has decided to do two things: to consolidate its security apparatus, and to create jobs. General Dayton, of the U.S., in cooperation with Jordan and Israel, is working on the security issues. Prime Minister Fayyad, a financial maven of some renown, has been quite successful in creating jobs, and can take pride in a 7% economic growth rate this year. Netanyahu is cooperating in this regard by reducing the number of checkpoints and by advocating on behalf of what he calls “an economic peace.”
If you ask me, the threat that Hamas poses to Fattah opens a window of opportunity for Israel, and for the prospects for peace. If Israel plays her cards right, she will play an active role in this regard, and become a willing partner to help Fattah to consolidate its security, and to create jobs. Israel could use her economic, educational, and research capabilities to help revitalize the Palestinian economy in the West Bank. She could agree to all this on one condition: a comprehensive peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians of the West Bank. The Palestinians would likely agree, not because they love Israel, God forbid, but because they need Israel to stave off a common threat, the threat of Hamas.
A partnership between Israel and the West Bank would be a way of putting pressure on Hamas. Ordinary citizens in Gaza would see the prosperity in the West Bank and would naturally say to themselves: “Hey, where is our share?” They could pressure Hamas in ways that Israel can’t. When Israel fights Hamas she creates martyrs. But when their own people pressure Hamas, now that’s horse of a different color. After a while, without the support of the people, even Hamas could decide to moderate its views, and join the bandwagon of job creation, as a means of legitimating its hold on power. At such time, Fattah and Hamas could become two legitimate political parties, each using legitimate means to consolidate political power. Each creating jobs, instead of instigating terror.
There is a saying in the Middle East: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Could this be a case in point, and could it mean peace?
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Well, very good and down-to-earth analysis, Nissim.
I remember a politician in Likud once said that she could easily conclude that the only possible peace in the region would be through the economical freedom. Or Laissez-faire capitalism theories. I agree absolutely that labour, free trade, and extensive Israeli-Palestenian network of business can do what the diploamtic and political resolutions didn’t.
By the way, Fattah and Israel are already friends, and share common views about peace. Hamas are mere terrorists. And yes, Fattah and Israel businessmen can bring a resolution.
I agree!
Well, according to what you’ve said, it’d go like the Chinese proverb that says; “It is good to strike the serpent’s head with your enemy’s hand.”
Peace Out!
Nissim,
I know you mean well, but I have to say that this strikes me as naive. This idea of an economic peace is really nothing new. It distracts from the primary grievances of the Palestinians, which are largely civil and political. You leave out that Netanyahu is championing this economic peace as an alternative to the creation of a Palestinian state (an idea which he reluctantly had to accept), and quite frankly, this analysis seems to reflect Israeli priorities rather than Palestinian ones. There is very little indication, other than an Israeli and Western consensus based on misconception, that Fatah commands popular support.
The Bush administration’s primary strategy, after Hamas won the elections in Gaza, was exactly what you are describing. Shore up support for Fatah, create an economically stable and prosperous West Bank, and watch as Gazans reject Hamas. It has not worked, for the quite obvious reason that it does not address the primary grievances of the Palestinians.
Karim,
It’s funny, the multi-billionaire in the West Bank called me “naive” as well. But then he went on to say that he too is naive, having wished for peace for some 40 years, and still somehow, falling short.
I guess I am naive at heart, but I also think that I’m on to something realistic here.
I understand what you’re saying, that the key issues facing the Palestinians will have to be faced head on, such as the occupation, which should come to an end for the sake of Palestinians and Israelis alike. I also understand that there have been in the past attempts to invest in Palestine in order to bring about prosperity. And of course, these efforts did not bear fruit; much of the money going into corrupt hands, which partly explains why Hamas won in the first place.
However, what we have now is something which has not existed before. We have a situation in which Fattah perceives Hamas as a mortal threat. To the best of my knowledge, this situation is relatively new, and to my mind, offers an opportunity that has not existed before, and that must be seized with all vigor.
Fattah understand that corruption will not cut it at this point. I believe that a serious effort is under way to bring about prosperity in the West Bank and to consolidate security. The key businessmen in the West Bank do not want to see a Hamas takeover there. Israel has to show some measure of progress to hold on to U.S. support. Obama has to show some progress as well on the peace front. For the Obama Administration, success in the West Bank could be the beginning of an overall accomodation with huge parts of the Muslim world. Many developed and developing nations around the world see peace in Palestine as essential for the free-flow of oil, etc.
If you put this fruit salad together, it is possible, though not definite, that Israel’s willingness to help Fattah with security and with job creation could be pivitol in brokering a peace, at least with the West Bank. This will happen not because of wishful thinking, or naivete, or because it is the right thing to do, but because there is today an alignment of the self-interests of many of the players at the table. Self-interest, if played just right, could mean peace, not because people love one another, but because for the first time, they may actually need one another big time. Not to mention the Sunni need for Israel to help in keep Iran’s ambitions in check.