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A30

October 9 • 2009

we won't make peace with them for
another 40 years;' he recalled saying at
a recent forum with the country's top
policymakers.
If the interview was meant to con-
stitute Olmert's political legacy, his
presumptive successor was quick to
reject it.
Livni, the foreign minister, said
Olmert was wrong to go public with
Israel's final negotiating positions
while she is in the midst of intensive
negotiations with the Palestinians.
"We agreed negotiations should take
place in the negotiating room, not on
the pages of a newspaper;' she said
at a Foreign Ministry conference in
Jerusalem after Rosh Hashanah.
Olmert also was roundly criticized
on the right for saying too much and
on the left for doing too little.
Yuval Steinitz of the Likud Party
took issue with Olmert's contention
that in an age of missiles, Israel could
afford to give up hundreds of yards on
its borders. "Ignoring the difference
between rockets fired from long dis-
tances and an enemy perched on hills
above Jerusalem shows just how little
he understands basic security issues:'
Steinitz said.
Yossi Beilin of the Meretz Party cas-
tigated Olmert for "revealing his true
position on the national interest only
when he has nothing to lose."
Olmert is the fourth Israeli prime
minister to start his political life as a
hawk in the vein of the Likud or its
predecessor, Herut, and then to sur-
prise observers later with the extent of
his willingness to make far-reaching
concessions.
Herut founder Menachem Begin
returned the Sinai to Egypt; Benjamin
Netanyahu withdrew Israeli forces
from Hebron, concluded the Wye River
agreement with the Palestinians and
negotiated with Syria over withdraw-
ing from the Golan; and Ariel Sharon
pulled back unilaterally from the Gaza
Strip.
Olmert, it seems, has now set the
stage for an Israeli withdrawal from
the West Bank and the Golan Heights.
Olmert confidants argue that the
frank expression of his views has posi-
tive elements for future peacemaking
and diplomacy. They say it has created
a strong incentive for the various Arab
parties to negotiate peace and shown
the international community how
far Israel would be willing to go — a
possible public relations advantage if
peace efforts fail.
Critics, however, reject these claims.
They point out that Olmert's stated

readiness for full withdrawal on all
fronts encourages Arab parties to cling
to maximalist positions, not com-
promise. It also puts the next Israeli
prime minister on the spot: If peace
moves break down, they say, the next
prime minister will be blamed for not
going as far as Olmert would have.
Livni bristled at the implication
that peace would be achievable under
Olmert if he could have stayed on,
and if she failed to achieve peace dur-
ing her tenure as prime minister she
would be to blame.
In a meeting Sunday in Jerusalem
with French Foreign Minister
Bernard Kouchner, Livni opposed the
framework of Olmert's offer to the
Palestinians. She said she was against
making far-reaching proposals for a
quick fix and that negotiations should
be allowed all the time they needed to
ripen into a well constructed deal.
Livni was critical as well of Olmert's
position on Iran. In the Yediot inter-
view, Olmert dismissed as "megalo-
mania" the notion that Israel would or
should unilaterally attack Iran. Olmert
said the international community,
not just Israel, should take the steps
necessary to arrest Iran's nuclear pro-
gram.
Livni said Israel should be sending
the message that all options are on the
table. ❑

-

Answering
Israel's Critics

The Charge
During his sermons at the end
of Ramadan in Iran last week,
Ayatollah All Khamenei, that
nation's "supreme leader;' said
Muslims worldwide are united
against Israel.

The Answer
Khamenei's statements are more
anti-Israel and anti-Semitic pro-
paganda from Iran's leaders. Israel
has good relations with Muslim
countries such as Egypt, Jordan
and Mauritania and participates in
interfaith efforts with Muslims in
Israel and elsewhere in the Middle
East as well as in Europe and North
America.

- Allan Gale, Jewish Community

Relations Council
of Metropolitan Detroit

© Oct. 9, 2008, Jewish Renaissance Media