The newly signed Geneva Accord, which though unofficial, has generated considerable interest. But the possible steps envisaged by both Sharon and his Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert are the antithesis of a peace initiative. Their main premise is that peace initiatives are futile, a negotiated agreement is out of reach and, therefore, Israel must take unilateral measures. Olmert’s plan is said to fundamentally change the situation in the Middle East. Israel, Olmert said, will have to remove a “considerable” number of settlements in the West Bank and Gaza and draw a border around the rest to bring about a separation between the Israelis and Palestinians. Israel, he said, will “definitely” not withdraw to the 1967 lines, and will keep “the united city of Jerusalem.”
Olmert acknowledges that his thinking is along the lines of Sharon’s who has spoken repeatedly about possible unilateral moves and will speak more about them soon. How many settlements, though, are being talked about is not clear. Israel is obligated to remove all outposts — homesteads built without official government approval — set up since March, 2001, according to the terms of the road map. But a removal of settlements would be a dramatic departure for Sharon, who has been the settler movement’s leading patron for a quarter century.
Even before Sharon floated the idea of unilateral steps, Israel began building the biggest of all unilateral constructions, the separation barrier whose completed portions already cut deep into the West Bank, ensuring huge land grabs of Palestinian territory. Olmert’s proposals, like those of Sharon, fall far short of the Palestinian demands for a state in all of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem — all areas Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war.
Thus, it is clear why Israel wants to impose its own solution without a peace agreement: The Palestinians will end up with much less land than in a negotiated agreement. An entire policy is thus being planned, not, as some suggest, because Sharon needs one. Sharon may be swaying but he is not about to fall over. He has been facing some domestic squabbles, ranging from the Geneva Accord, to the West Bank wall to criticism of his military policies from the Israeli Army and intelligence chiefs, old and new. But there is absolutely no sign that his government is about to fall. The main opposition Labor Party is still largely marked by its absence from the political arena. True, there are some cracks appearing in the walls.
An Israeli opinion poll published this week has shown that 50 percent of Israelis regard Sharon as being untrustworthy after he said he might take unilateral steps to resolve the conflict with the Palestinians. The findings of the poll were not much better than last week’s results in a Maariv poll which found that 56 percent of Israelis were dissatisfied with Sharon’s performance. Still, Sharon remains the boss and is set to start a new chapter on Israel’s terms.
