views
essay
Be Bold
Give Mideast peace, as a pursuit with upfront traction, a chance.
F
or a peace process between Israel
and the Palestinians to succeed over
the long haul, both sides, despite
the seeming paradox, must first enable
the idea of peace.
Without such a dra-
matic leap of faith in
something so basic,
there’s little chance of
real peace taking root,
let alone growing with
conviction. Even the
promise of peace will
remain elusive.
Robert Sklar
Israel could advance
Contributing Editor
peace prospects by
strengthening the
foundation laid by such
iconic prime ministers
as Golda Meir, Menachem Begin, Yitzhak
Rabin and Shimon Peres and embracing
peace as a national pursuit. Maintaining
the status quo in the disputed territories
of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
will further fray the tenuous relation-
ship between Israel and the Arab world.
There’s no long-term benefit to Israel
interminably controlling the lives of mil-
lions of Palestinians.
For their part, the Palestinians have
no one’s legacy to recall given their lead-
ership’s proclivity toward terror. They
require a complete recalibration of who
they are as a people and what they col-
lectively want to be. They need leaders
who renounce violence, recognize Israel
and are willing to negotiate, not who cry
foul at every churn of Israeli governmental
policy. Fatah and Hamas, the governing
powers in the West Bank and the Gaza
Strip, are more to blame for their people’s
plight than Israel, engrossed on multiple
fronts. The Jewish state not only is on
guard against Palestinian terror, but also
is battling domestic issues, global anti-
Semitism and a United Nations laser-
focused on isolating it internationally.
ALTER COURSE
To create a new way of thinking about
the contentious term “peace,” Israel and
the Palestinians must seek a reality check.
They must take a step back and truly
commit to pursuing peace, leaving for
another time the hard decisions demand-
ed for achieving peace.
ADDRESS TENSION
The two sides must see through the
The Palestinians are stuck in a cultural
mists of politicking and glimpse why a
warp that views not just the disputed
peace that endures would be the best-
territories but also the State of Israel as
possible solution to their prolonged and
a Zionist “occupation.” They also teach
wrenching conflict. Otherwise, there’s no
a seething hatred toward Jews that will
hope for two states, one Jewish and one
take generations to reverse, a peace
Palestinian, living side by side, with safe,
treaty or not.
secure borders.
The Israeli government isn’t
Israeli journalist Shmuel
doing itself any favors by con-
Rosner is a senior fellow at the
tinued settlement expansion
Jewish People Policy Institute,
although it’s unlikely that one
an Israeli policy-planning think
factor is the cause of Palestinian
tank, as well as senior political
rejection of new talks. The settle-
editor at the Jewish Journal of Los
ments offer the Palestinian leader-
Angeles. In a thoughtful commen-
ship an excuse to do what it pre-
tary appearing Nov. 8, he mused
fers: seek independent statehood
that Israelis may support return- Shmuel Rosner
via international channels, not
ing to the bargaining table, but
direct, bilateral negotiations.
they no longer believe in the kind
Much is made about Israel’s
of peace Rabin imagined — “a concrete
checkpoints and separation barrier and
and stable peace with their Palestinian
its military presence in the Jordan val-
neighbors.”
ley. All are legitimate defenses against
Peace as a realistic goal is “out of fash-
Palestinian terror. Israel has no reason
ion,” Rosner wrote. Both sides, he wrote,
to think a Palestinian culture ingrained
“refuse to make the compromises neces-
to despise Zionism and Jews will change
sary for a lasting peace.”
quickly.
Crystallizing the conflict, Rosner
Peace involving “mutual respect
asserted, “It’s one thing to realistically
between our neighbors and ourselves”
assess that peace is not coming any
— as imagined by Golda Meir — is
time soon and quite another to forgo
embedded in the Declaration of the
Contributing Writers:
Ruthan Brodsky, Rochel Burstyn, Suzanne
Chessler, Annabel Cohen, Don Cohen, Shari
S. Cohen, Shelli Liebman Dorfman, Adam
Finkel, Stacy Gittleman, Stacy Goldberg, Judy
Greenwald, Ronelle Grier, Esther Allweiss
Ingber, Allison Jacobs, Barbara Lewis, Jennifer
Lovy, Rabbi Jason Miller, Alan Muskovitz,
David Sachs, Karen Schwartz, Robin Schwartz,
Steve Stein, Joyce Wiswell
Arthur M. Horwitz
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the ideal of peace.”
It sure is.
It’s as if the mere mention of peace as
an idea is somehow a cop-out, which-
ever the side. Palestinians largely fear it
would inflame the terror-mongers within.
Israelis, left or right leaning, largely have
grown weary of its politicization. Neither
side seems to want to bend, ever — scut-
tling peace talks before another round
even begins.
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Establishment of the State of Israel, a
compelling roadmap that Rosner cited
in his piece.
The Declaration reads: “We extend
our hand to all neighboring states and
their peoples in an offer of peace and
good neighborliness.”
Rosner is right: “Our leaders should
go back to this habit of reminding Israel
and the world that Israel’s goal is peace.”
Peace indeed “should be a usable,
mainstream word, and an aspiration
that everyone shares.”
EMPLOY FORESIGHT
It’s unfortunate both the political left
and the political right among Israeli-
Palestinian observers have resorted to
using their uncompromising view of
peace as a cudgel against the other.
Only hardcore talks will distill such
matters as borders, security, refugees,
Jerusalem, mutual recognition, holy sites,
water rights and a halt to all conflict and
claims. Resolution of that tinder box of
issues won’t happen without a leader-
ship shakeup in Ramallah, Gaza City and
Jerusalem. U.S. President Donald Trump’s
Dec. 6 symbolic acknowledgment that
Jerusalem is the capital of the sovereign
state of Israel (a Trump campaign pledge,
but also an Israeli government reality)
shouldn’t diminish the need to settle
Jerusalem’s final status at peace talks.
It behooves all players to set the stage
now for tenacious talks later. It’s time
to raise the curtain on peace as a reso-
nant idea with the potential for ultimate
reward for the stakeholders.
Fantastical as it seems, the simple act
of all parties enabling peace as an ideal
today may prove the impetus for a better
tomorrow in a long-beleaguered region. •
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