The Peace Puzzle
Peace in the Middle East has long been an illusive dream, but there are hints in the air that peace negotiations between Palestinians and Israel may soon be underway, and that this time around, some measure of success may be in the offing.
What indications do we have that negotiations are imminent? In late December, for example, Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed a convention of Israeli diplomats and made it clear that his intent is to conclude a peace deal based on two states for two people. He said, “The time for excuses is over. Now’s the time for action.” Such words could easily be dismissed as self-serving, but perhaps there is more to this than meets the eye. At around the same time, Netanyahu invited Zippi Livny, the leader of the opposition, to join his government. Was this simply an empty and cynical gesture, or could Netanyahu be seriously interested in enlarging his coalition, to counter a defection by some of his supporters in the wake of peace negotiations and the concessions which will have to be made? In addition, Yossi Beilin, one of the chief architects of the Oslo Accords, said recently that Netanyahu is very close to finalizing the terms of reference (TOR), or preliminary understandings, for a renewal of talks.
There are other indications that talks may soon be underway. With respect to reducing the number of roadblocks, and curbing settlement construction in the West Bank, Netanyahu has gone further than any previous Israeli government. Is this due simply to pressure from the U.S., or could it be something more? In addition, after Netanyahu met Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on December 31, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit offered rare words of praise for Netanyahu, thanking him for raising new ideas and advancing the peace process. Reportedly, Netanyahu was quoted as saying, “Help me with Abbas and I will be ready to go for a far-reaching deal.”
These and other indications all point to an imminent resumption of peace talks, but the question still remains: What reason is there, this time around, to expect a successful outcome from the negotiations which may soon be underway? The answer may be that a peace deal may be in the offing not because the two sides love one another, but because for the first time, they need one another, in a substantial way, and this sense of mutual need may be shared by many of the key players in the region, and beyond.
Why would Palestinians, particularly in the West Bank, be inclined to conclude a peace deal at this time? It is clear to many observers that Fatah and Hamas find themselves locked in an existential battle for survival. The more moderate and secular Palestinians in the West Bank, including members of the Fatah leadership, do not want to see a takeover by Hamas fundamentalists, as occurred in Gaza. To stave off this threat, Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has launched and is implementing a two-year state-building plan, which is similar to Netanyahu’s vision of peace through economic prosperity, and which includes General Dayton’s training of Palestinian security forces. Economic prosperity and job creation, along with a consolidation and strengthening of the security apparatus, would be an effective way of containing Hamas. Israel could play a major role on both these fronts, economy and security: helping with job creation, taking down more roadblocks, bringing in foreign investment, and helping to consolidate Palestinian security, perhaps as part of a regional military and economic alliance, in exchange for a peace deal.
But why would Israel be inclined to push the peace process forward at this time? The answer is relatively straight forward: Iran. Just as Hamas poses an existential threat to Fatah, so too does Iran, with its nuclear and foreign policy ambitions, pose an existential threat to Israel. And Israel, in order to stave off this threat, will need international support from the region, and from the international community at large. Such support will be needed even if Israel acts unilaterally to destroy Iran’s nuclear installations. The negative repercussions from such an attack will be significant, and Israel will require international consensus and support to mitigate the effects of these repercussions. A peace deal with Palestine will give Israel some measure of credibility, as she undertakes to contain the Iranian threat.
And why would the nations of the region be likely now to support a peace deal between Israel and Palestine, when in the past it served their interests to block such an agreement? The answer, once again, is relatively simple: Iran. The existential struggle between Hamas and Fatah, and between Israel and Iran, is even more pronounced between Iran and many of the Sunni states of the region. Iran undertakes, on many levels, to challenge many of the quiet understandings that have been reached in much of the Arab world, and poses a credible threat to many of the regimes in the region. Iran does not hide her intention to foment unrest using her various proxies, and a nuclear Iran would render that threat even more palpable. A regional nuclear arms race would likely ensue, bringing even more instability to an already volatile region.
And why would the United States, the Europeans, and large segments of the international community, be likely to support a peace deal between Israel and Palestine? The answer, once again is not difficult to fathom: To insure the free flow of oil, and to gain a measure of credibility in the fight against ideological extremism. Peace in the Middle East would go a long way to mitigate the volatility of the region, and would bring some semblance of stability to the price and supply of oil. In addition, an historic peace deal of this sort, along with the regional cooperation and even prosperity which would be engendered as a result, would go a long way to weaken the appeal of extremist thinking, even though much more would have to be done in this regard.
In sum, while it is always difficult to predict what will happen in the Middle East, especially when it comes to peace, there may be some reason for optimism due to the unique alignment of self-interest among the key players in the region, and beyond. Usually, self-interest takes us in different directions from one another. In this case, however, it may be the key to bringing us together in common purpose.
Join the Conversation
It’s not a “puzzle”, Nissim, It’s an endless Labyrinth of “peace” !! What you see is just the misleading sparkling of a thirsting mirage that some foolish Palestinians kept chasing since decades !!!! Shall we say starting from the British constant deception since the early of the 20th century till they (the British occupiers) established the zionist entity on the burbles of Palestine??? What is the Satan cooking of the fire of Hell???
Sami
Satan is quite a cook Sami. His repertoire is impressive to say the least. One of his favorite dishes is “Extremism.” It consists of encouraging people to believe what they want to believe, and to disregard the truth. That recipe has caught on, and has become quite popular of late.
As for the “zionist entity,” if my calculations are right, the “zionist entity” will end up being part of the solution for Palestinians, not the problem that you so eloquently describe. In fact, after writing this post, I found out that in the last two days, Abbas announced a willingness to resume negotiations. And I predict that these negotiations are likely to have some measure of success.
Palestinians, in the most fundamental sense, will need Israelis to stave off the threat from Hamas. Only Israel is in a position to provide that measure of security, and only Israel would be willing to do it, because doing so will help Israel contend with the security issues she faces from Iran. If Israel helps Palestinians, and if a deal can be cut there, then the region of nations, and the international community at large is likely to lend its support to Israel, as she sets out to deal with Iran, a far more dangerous threat to Israel than the Palestinians. I also believe that eventually, to save itself, Hamas will join in on the bandwagon of job creation, and when that happens, the realities on the ground will bring some measure of peace and stability. Business creates its own ideological imperative. When people are making money together, they may not like one another, but they will be civil about it, for the sake of their mutual benefit.
I’m not talking about idealism here. I’m talking about cold hard facts and the calculus of self-preservation.
Sure Nissim, the Zionist entity needs its collaborators (who are sunk deeply in financial, sexual, administrative and moral corruption) to face the clean nationalists who serve the people. And it is not by chance the zionist media revealed the PA’s scandals and corruption these days; the corrupt cant negotiate but only do what his master asks him to do !!!
The extremist is the zionist entity which all in all is heading right and no left-wing is left but only the settlers and their rightist government… the Palestinians have believed in “peace” for a long time until they got sick of merely mentioning this deceptive word !!!
Plus, if you to think rationale, the gap is soooo wide that we are fighting for the same capital, the same land we live in, the same existence we live,,, and no negotiation would bridge the gap but to continue the status cue of collaborators fighting their own people for the sake of the occupier!!!!!
Yes, the zionists needs a cover of a kind of a “peace process” to face the Iranian threat… The zionists actually dont think of Palestine and the Palestinians as it is just a marginal problem for them… they aim to use the Palestinians collaborators as a bridge to fight Hamas, Hizballah and Iran !!!!
Sami
I don’t agree that the peace process is just a farce, because I have personally met many Israelis, even those in government, who actually yearn for peace on the basis of the equitable resolution of all the issues. However, for the purposes of argument, let’s say you’re right, and that the peace process is being pursued solely for the purpose of contending with Hamas, Hizballah, and Iran. Even under these circumstances, it doesn’t mean that peace between Israel and Palestine is impossible. In other words, the motivations of the players may not be as important as the realities on the ground that they both have to contend with. Palestinians in the West Bank have to find a solution for Hamas. Israel has to find a solution for Iran. If the solutions to these problems requires a peaceful resolution of the issues, then peace will be at hand, regardless of the intent or motivation of the players.
There is extremism among Zionists, just as there is among Palestinians. However, there are moderates on both sides as well. I consider myself a Zionist who believes in an equitable peace, and there are many like me. In fact, I would argue that the vast majority of Israelis would embrace an equitable resolution of the issues, if their security as a Jewish state could be preserved. For Israel, security and Jewish identity are paramount. Virtually everything else could be negotiated. And in light of 2000 years of the persecution of Jews, culminating in the Holocaust, it is understandable, to me at least, why a Jewish state was created, and why Jews will hold on to that state with their teeth.
I don’t buy it. The capitol, Jerusalem, can be shared, as it is being shared today. We can’t let semantics get in the way. The land can be apportioned equitably, close to the 1967 lines, with a few land swaps to take into account realities on the ground. And maybe you’re right that negotiations by themselves will not bridge the gap. But if we build on those negotiations economically, with good paying jobs, and if we add in the threats we both face from ideological extremists, then now there is a strong basis for coming together. Not only on the basis of negotiations, but including new economic incentives, and shared common threats.
There is corruption in Palestine, and there is corruption in Israel, and there is corruption almost anywhere you choose to look. I have met some of these “collaborators” you speak of. Some of these people are good people, who are busy building the institutions and economy which are prerequisites for statehood. I admire people like Fayyad who are not afraid to roll up their sleeves, and to build an economy with good paying jobs. The corruption that is out there does not necessarily negate the good that is being done in the name of Palestine. We can build on these efforts, and one day there will be even greater transparency and less corruption. We don’t want to let the “perfect” destroy the good.
Again, I have to state that the zionists never wanted peace, but only buying time to pass their project !!!
It is the same old lie of the british occupier when decieve te Arabs who helped them against the Ottoman Empire. The British occupier promised to “free” them but it was just a game to buying time to enslave them more and plant he zionist cancer !!!
Again, the same lie that Egypt will witness an economic leap after the “peace” with the zionists and what they get is corruption, and the Egyptian people became just a group of beggars with a collaborating government of fat corrupt leaders who live on the blood of the simple Egyptians. The Egyptian government has become a proxy administrator for the zionists and the West who apply the verbatim of their bosses orders and got paid like simple workers !!! The Egyptian can never build a strong nation or even just an independent government as long as they follow the zionist orders, the strong nation can only built the Turkish way, the Iranian way… but not enslaving yourself into an endless cycle of deceptive “peace” … Where is the begging Arab Initiative? The zionists dont want peace but to be the masters of the region !!!
Again, the same old lie of Mr. Perez that the West Bank will be the Singapore of the Middle East !!! and what we, Palestinians, got is just a pseudo government and “a rubblish of Land” like what An American friend told me once !!!
Again, the same lie of Mr. Bush of a “Palestinian state” before the end of 2008 !!!
Why, should we, the Palestinians, serve the zionist agenda and give them creditability of “peace” seekers, while they are just buying time to pass their project of occupying the whole of historic Palestine !!! Isnt it a fixed zionist law to take “another donum, another sheep” until taking all the land? Why should we buy into their dirty game against the Iranians and the Lebanese? Why should we serve an alien occupier against the nations of our folk? why to cooperate with a racist regime against our brothers? If you do so, we are not more than slaves who will become worse than the humble arab leaders begging only for the safety of their own castles !!!
I, and most of the Palestinians, who are not connected integrally to the occupation and the business of “peace process” ( some Palestinians live in, within and for the “peace” process, as it is their only source of living) can no longer believe the occupiers’ lies !!!
Sami
Israel is Israel and Britain is Britain. There is a history of colonial rule in the Middle East, what Bin Laden refers to as “…the eighty years of humiliation,” but that doesn’t mean that Israel is intent on empire building. Unlike the Britain of those days, Israel has a vested interest in finding a path to peace, as a means of insuring her own survival. Britain, and other colonial powers, were not in the same situation.
Can you really blame Israel for the inadequacy of Egyptian governance? Under the right circumstances, if the peace with Egypt was not such a cold peace, there could have been economic and other cooperation that could have led to a some measure of prosperity, and even more. But the peace was a cold one, and relations with Israel were kept to a minimum, probably because the extremist elements in Egypt wanted it that way, as they demonstrated when they assassinated Sadat. The need to contend with extremism is prevalent throughout the Middle East, and quiet understandings are in place which stifle the chance to realize a vision of hope, a vision of peace, prosperity, and freedom. This is not Israel’s fault, and in fact, it may well be, under that right circumstances, that Israel could be instrumental in turning that around. This will occur only when the nations of the region come to the realization that change is in the offing, and that the people will not settle for less.
Peres is not a supid man. Palestine could become the Singapore of the Middle East, not because Israel says so, but because the Palestinians themselves are educated and industrious and more than capable of building a peaceful, prosperous, and free nation, as is slowly becoming the case under the leadership of people like Fayyad. Israel could play a part in this transformation if it is allowed to do so. Israeli companies can do business with Palestine. Israel can help with the security issues. And nations around the world will do what it takes to make it happen. The only thing standing in the way is the ideological extremism on both sides, but even this can be overcome by the will of the majority.
There is some measure of risk in anything we choose to do, even peace. Sooner or later Palestinians will have to choose what they want for their future. Making one choice means giving up another one. For example, if we choose peace, we give up on the idea of a Greater Israel on all the land, and you give up the idea of destroying the Jewish state. Everyone gives up something, even as they opt for something better.
You can choose to paint Israel as the enemy, not to be trusted under any circumstance. Or you can take the risk of partnering with Israel for the sake of a peaceful, prosperous, and freedom-loving Palestinian State. The first choice, in my opinion, is a dead end. The second choice may yield better results, not because all the players are pure of heart, they aren’t, but because for the first time in a long while, there is a strange alignment of the self-interest of both sides. Peace will be the vehicle for contending with the extremism faced by both sides. Once that peace is put in place, and once we begin to build on it by creating new economic realities, and once we get other nations and other factions, including Hamas, to buy into it, then slowly we can build the trust that will convince us that our worse suspicions were misplaced, and that today is a new day.
I can’t sign it in blood, but I think that given the alternative, it’s at least worth a try.
Nissin, you are living within the delusion of “peace” !!!!
The zionists can reach to an accord with a bunch of corrupt leaders, of mafia leading a pseudo government, but they cant be accepted to occupy our homeland and have peace with the Arab nation… and I am here, I am talking as one of the simple people of the street who don’t know the zionists other than robbers who took our land and terrorize us every now and then.
Look at what Hassan Shihatah (“the boss”), the coach of the Egyptian National Soccer Team said this week (after over 30 years of the “peace” accord with Egypt):
“
This is how the vast majority of the Arabs (other than the corrupt leaders) see the zionist entity !!
The zionist entity can reach to a perfect “peace” deals (and it is a business deal for some arabs) with some of the Arabs dictators and autocrats, but can never be seen as a legitimate country for the arabs-the simple people of the street, and also the elite of our thinkers (look at all the Arabs syndicate unions and academic thinkers to see how the zionists are “loved” even in both Egypt and Jprdan that signed “peace” accords with the enemy).
Hassan Shihata is just a sample, heard by millions of Arabs who don’t see “israel” but an invading bunch of zionists who will be defeated sooner or later and kicked out of the region, of our homelnd, that they (the zionists) can never belong to the region but as invaders- no common language, no common history, no common culture, no common interests… but they are just aliens to this region, just a cancer that the West planted in the heart of the Arab world to split it and prevent any soon possibility to be united !!
How many years passed since the Egyptian mafia of “government” signed a “pace” accord with “israel”? How many peace conferences organized and re-organized to legitimize the zionit entity in the region? And still after decades and decade of alleged peace with Egypt, all the political, cultural, artistic, economic bodies and syndicates are boycotting the zionist entity, and who take a step to normalize is boycotted too and considered a traitor !!!
How many years the zionists are living in peace with the Jordanian Dynasty- secretly and openly- but go and have a visit to Jordan to see how both the street and the educated elite are in “love” with the zionist enemy.
Israel, by its nature, is a racist (jewish state) and an aggressive entity that invaded our region and kicked the natives out, not only that, but commit an atrocity every now and then to prove its power over the natives who cant digest that hostile entity !!!
I have witnessed the zionists that kill children, murders Arabs, that bombs, that levels towns and villages – but this is the first time I have heard that Israel plays soccer- and this is the first time I hear that a racist entity of a few millions that would prove its will over the masses of Muslims and Arabs !!
Israel, by it nature (as an invader) , cant live but behind the “Iron Wall” of Jabotenski, the concrete wall that they built after 60 years of invading and occupying Palestine with the help of Britain and the West, behind the American “patriot” shield of missiles, within the Ghetto of the “Jewish State” that they are reviving again !!!
You see Nissim, the invader (any invader like the zionist) cant ask for peace while killing the natives, while terrorizing its neighbors… it can only trust its power (that of Jabotensky) and live in his own Ghetto behind his wall !!! You can rest happily with the idea of making “peace” with bunch of mafia leader, with corrupt regime that you support and which ow you its existence (a bunch of corrupt mafia that you created and prepared to suit your peace), you can trust making “peace” with an autocratic king and his palace… but the real people??? nah, you can only trust your power, your own aggression ( within which, your own end is doomed)
Sami
Sami, let me put it this way, maybe I am delusional as you suggest, but you have to be somewhat delusional to believe in peace. And I believe in peace, in rationality, and in the possibility of hope.
You paint Israel as the sum total of everything that is wrong in the Middle East. You have convinced yourself that if Israel ceased to exist, that things would be much better for “the man on the street.” Well actually, I would turn that around. To my mind, if Israel somehow disappeared, so too would the hope for change in the Middle East. What was life like for the man on the street before Israel came into existence? Was it paradise or was it hell?
I have seen both sides of Israel, and while she is indeed imperfect, she offers somethiing special to the people who choose to partner with her. She has given a decent life to the 20% Palestinians who live there. Yes there is some discrimination, but many of them choose to live there willingly, even under the current government, and do not wish to move anywhere else.
I know Israelis from the inside, not just from politics, since my family has been there some 200 years, and I know them to be good peace-loving people, who pray for the day when an equitable solution can be found that would lead to peace.
The picture you paint is an extremely dismal picture, and to contend with such extremism, with extremism that would destroy the Jewish State, Israel has had to create a very tough version of herself, and to assume the attitude that people who seek her destruction will be met with a force that is overwhelmingly powerful. For Israel, survival is a moral imperative, which she will uphold at all cost. Given Jewish history, of 2000 years of persecution, culminating in the Holocaust, Israel considers her survival as paramount, and places that above any other consideration.
However, it has always been the case that peace is the best way of ensuring continued survival, and I don’t doubt for a minute that Israel will continue to pursue peace, and will leave no stone unturned in that pursuit.
My feeling is that the people of the region have been taught from an early age to vent their frustrations against Israel, even when those frustrations have nothing to do with Israel. There are many systems in place in the Arab world which are not calculated to promote the general good. Blaming Israel is an easy fix, and an easy way to divert attention from what needs to be done to make things better. Instead of blaming Israel all the time, why not take the time to get to know the people there, and to try to work together to build a better future for all concerned? Many of the Arabs who live in Israel have done just that, and have come to the conclusion that while Israel does have its problems, that it is still a good place to live, because it does respect the rights of the common man, and gives him an opportunity to make his life better.
In short, I don’t see anything good coming out of the attitude that Israel has no right to exist as a Jewish state. That attitutude will get you nowhere, and will bring out the worst version of Israel, because in her mind she has no choice but to defend herself with some measure of brutality. If however, you meet her halfway and bridge the ideological divide, if only as an experiment, then she may surprise you, and bring out a version of herself that you never expected. In a crazy way, she may end up helping you to realize a vision of hope, in a way that no one else can, or cares to.
Nisim,,
You portray he zionist entity as a peace lover and seeker, a lamb among a forest of wolves, but the fact is totally the opposite. The zionist cant live bot to have the upper hand, their nuclear threat, there repeated atrocities against its civilian neighbor. Can you tell me why the zionists shunned the Arab initiative as Sharon mocked it? Why the zionists still refuse and ignore the Arab initiative that gives them full peace and full normalization? (I am happy that the zionists refused it at the time the arabs were the weakest) Can you tell me why the zionists re so insistent on building settlement, even now when you are talking of “peace”. (just see what the zionist deputy finance ministry said today)
Everybody want peace Nissim, it is a natural human need … but what you are offering is just your own version of “peace” that means a full surrender of the arabs ( why you refused the full peace with all the arabs and full normalization?). What you, the zionists, want Nissim is an “Israeli jewish Rabbinical nuclear state” planted intentionally in the heart of the Arab world… Lets use the words in another way an “Iranian muslim Mullah Nuclear sate”… I dont want this kind of state Nissin. I am seeking PEACE but not temporary treaties, a PEACE in which all the inhabitants of Palestine (Muslims, jews and Christians) live in ONE SECULAR STATE !!!
This is the peace that I want… this is the peace that Hassan Shihata “the boss’ and every Arab wants… this is the dream of the masses but not a zionist dream to impose their peace by power and repeated atrocities !!! I dont want a racist state on 80% of Palestine for the zionists to live in their Ghetto again and I live in the Ghetto of Gaza, of the West Bank !!!!
the zionist entity can only force peace that it wants, the way it want it to be, a pure racist, for every jew to have the right to return (even those who have never been here), on the other hand, the Palestinians, who were born in Palestine and kicked out of their homes are doomed to be kept refugees !!! See how everything is RACIST in the zionist entity?
You can impose the “peace” you want Nissim with a bunch of corrupt collaborators and businessmen, using your power… You can (as it is clear you are actually doing) to occupy all of historic Palestine, and segregate the indigenous population in cantons … You can use your nuclear power of the zionist mullahs to terrorize every couple of years…. but you got to know it perfectly that your power is temporary, and within this power lies the arrogance, the iron wall which you are building to live in the Ghetto, the inevitable falling !!
I dont want you to live in the Ghetto of your racist Israeli jewish rabbanical nuclear state Nissim… what I want is a permanent Human state … Keep dreaming of the zionist way of “peace” Nissim… and you will reap what you plant, a racist state that cant stand in the wind … no matter how long you will stay occupying and terrorizing the natives in an everlasting chase for the zionist “peace” .. PEACE is human and mutual and can never be imposed, peace is with people to live together equal humans… Peace is for all but not for a bunch of racist occupiers …. and the power for the zionists as it is shield for the short run, it is a ghetto for the long run, in which its alienation and end is doomed !!! Shalom Chaver !!!
Sami
Sami, I’m glad that you still consider me a “chaver,” a friend, as I do you. We don’t agree on much, but we’re still willing to talk about it, in a civil manner. That’s at least a good beginning.
Actually, I think of Israel as a wolf among wolves. I do think she is a lover of peace, but peace is still beyond her reach, and she has had to assume to role of wolf to survive in as yet a very hostile environment. Her founding was against the odds, and so too is her survival, and therefore she has made that her top priority, until she is able, somehow, to maneuver herself toward peace.
If I remember correctly, the Arab initiative was actually a Saudi initiative, which was announced shortly after 9/11, and in the midst of the second Intifada. My guess is that Israel viewed it as a ploy by the Saudis to divert attention from the fact that 15 of the 19 hyjackers were Saudi. The offer was not accompanied by anything from Arafat that pointed to the possibility of peace, and so it was ignored. However, when Sadat made a genuine gesture, Israel jumped at the opportunity to broker a treaty with Egypt. And similarly when King Hussein became serious about peace, Israel jumped onced again to seal the deal. To me, that speaks of a willingness to make peace, when a real opportunity presents itself, and my prediction is that a real chance will soon be in the offing with the Palestinians.
Until there is peace, Israel will do what it thinks it should do to consolidate its security. The settlements are not the core problem. As Barak demonstrated in 2000, almost all the settlements will be turned over to Palestinians as part of a final peace treaty.
I’m not really in a position, personally, to offer anything. But my vision of peace is about Selling a Vision of Hope, which includes the following:
1. Using an Ideology of Common Sense to speak to one another with common sense and with a sense of personal dignity.
2. Investing in one another to create jobs, jobs which grow our economies, jobs which protect the environment, and jobs which help to neutralize the hold of extremist thinking.
3. Using ideology and invesments to sell on another on a Vision of Hope.
4. Sustaining the hope by launching a series or public diplomacy programs which are specifically designed to prop the vision up, and to carry it forward, such as a program to empower women by financing female entrepreneurs and promiting women’s rights.
5. Fighting against the forces of extremism, but positioning that fight within a Vision of Hope. Raising the fight on the ground to a higher moral plain by giving the fight a moral clarity of purpose. People will fight harder once they know what they’re fighting for. We are not fighting a “war against terror.” We are fighting a war to realize a Vision of Hope. There’s a big difference.
As for a “secular state,” that is a non-starter as far as Israel is concerned. Jews had the opportunity to live in secular states, and ended by in the ovens. There is only one Jewish state in the world, and history has proven the need for such an entity, if the Jews are to have any expectation for survival as a people.
I don’t like ghettos, and I don’l like walls and fences. My guess is, however, that Palestinians would have a better chance of tearing down those fences and walls and ghettos, by striking an equitable deal with Israel, and by bringing to life, as part of that deal, a Vision of Hope, a vision of peace, prosperity, and freedom. In other words, the success of Palestine can emerge side by side Israel, even more so than if Israel never existed.
The vast majority of Palestinians were not “kicked out.” That’s why 20% of Israel is Palestinian Arabs, who enjoy citizenship, and a good standard of living, even though there is room for improvement here as well. The majority of the 700,000 Palestinians who became refugees left voluntarily after becoming convinced by the invading Arab armies that Israel would soon be destroyed. They were kept as refugees by the host Arab countries who used them as political pawns to keep the hatred of Israel alive, as one of many diversionary tricks. It is time to bring justice to the refugees, and that can be done within the context of a negotiated settlement, something that the Arab world has long rejected. But today may be a new day.
I don’t believe that the occupation is in Israel’s long term best interests. I believe in peace being built on a foundation of trust, trust which is built over time with the hard work that it will take to bring justice to both sides of this conflict. I believe that there is a real opportunity to make something happen along these lines, because both sides stand to suffer if an agreement is not reached. I don’t think that the answer is to destroy the Jewish state, because for Israelis, given their history, that is the primary consideration. However, if we keep an open mind, and choose sensible solutions instead of intractable ideological positions, then chances are good that we can move forward on this thing, because the balance is tilting in favor of peace between both sides, and leveraging that agreement into an overall accommodation between the Muslim world and the Western world.
quite some article. it discusses the main relevant political issues.
at the same time there are a lot of comments too!
what can i say.
i think that it’s obvious who the key players are and that peace talks of some kind are vital to securing stability and if abbas and other regional partners are able to do something then you always have to hope that stability of some kind will come.
the region needs it that is for sure.
hopefully the best thing i can wish for is an armistice with proper UN peacekeeping efforts to support protection of the palestinian people as a whole and for everyone in the region for the future.
Absolutely worth to bookmark this blog post. A lot of valuable information we can get in this website. Fantastic!