The 40-year-old Israeli mistake of occupying Palestinian and Arab land is not about to be rectified soon. No serious observer following the developing situation in the Middle East will be willing to place any bets on the possibility of achieving a just and lasting peace in the Middle East anytime soon.
Hamas’ misadventure in Gaza last June is not the reason. Hamas proved to be a shortsighted and ineffective junior player that lost its esteem, and exhausted itself without hardly any real shots fired by Fatah. Hamas scored own-goals that defeated it in the PLO-Hamas power struggle in the occupied Palestinian territory. Sooner than later, Hamas in Gaza will give up, either voluntarily or under the public pressure. Should Hamas desire to return to the Palestinian mainstream, then it has to accept President Abbas’ decrees, apologize to the Palestinian people, and restore all PNA institutions to the government of Salam Fayyad. Hamas is also advised to review its failed “strategy”, and if necessary, to go back to the drawing board to revise the ways in which it wants to realize its objectives.
The reason why there will be no just and lasting peace in the Middle East is Israel. As a citizen of Palestine, living the humiliation and suffering of the occupation, dealing with the horrendous Israeli realities on the ground, I do not see any Israeli changes that make me change my mind. The fact is that so far, there is no realization among the Israeli public or government that their occupation project in the West Bank, Arab East Jerusalem, and Gaza will not succeed. And as long as they perceive the situation this way, there is no hope for peace in the Middle East.
President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad are men of peace, sincere in their efforts to achieve real peace for the Palestinian people and everyone else in the region, but they can only go so far. From what is known of declared Israeli positions, Arab East Jerusalem will be on the table to be dissected and carved away in favor of Israel. The unfinished 8-meter high concrete wall, labeled by Israel conveniently as a “fence”, swallowing large swathes of Palestinian land, will dictate the future border of the Jewish state. Not one Palestinian refugee will be allowed to return to his or her former village or city in pre-1948 mandate Palestine. The list is long.
Under the circumstances, and in view of what appears to be a movement toward resumption of peace talks which came about as a result of the relentless efforts by an eager and determined Palestinian president, encouraged recently it seems by an equally eager American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Israel’s Prime Minister Ehud Olmert apparently had no choice but to pretend to reciprocate. Anyone who really knows Israel’s tactics will immediately understand that Israel saw in President Bush’s call for an international peace gathering to be held in the fall, a window of opportunity that should not be missed in order to normalize relations with the Arab states. In the said gathering, Israel will rely on the Bush administration to influence all so-called moderate Arab states to attend, thus scoring significant political gains for itself without fully accepting and implementing the terms of the Arab peace initiative.
The Israeli tactic is certainly known to leading Arab states. In a joint press conference with Condoleezza Rice last Monday in Jeddah, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Faisal sent a clear message to Israel and the United states when he said: “We are interested in the peace conference, one that deals with the heart of the peace process, the issues of peace, the core issues, not one that is just a podium for meetings and talk that do not enrich peace.”
“When we get an invitation from the minister (Condoleezza Rice) to attend, when this takes place, we will study it and we will be keen to attend.”
The prince, no doubt, is reflecting the opinion of a good number of Arab states, particularly in the Gulf. This should give us all hope that Israel will not succeed in its current maneuvering and that this time Israel will have to accept and implement the Arab peace initiative before any further Arab normalization with Israel.
The peace strategy of President Mahmoud Abbas, with the help of the international community, will strengthen the Palestinian people, and enable them to remain steadfast. The Palestinians need to build sound governing institutions, reinvigorate their education system, rebuild the productive sectors, and most important of all, ensure the application of the concept of one authority, one law, and one gun.
Strong and able Palestinians will be more capable of achieving their rights. Mobilizing the world community and the powers of international law in their favor is a must.
The Arab nation is requested to provide every assistance needed, be it political, moral, and or financial to support the Palestinian government and people in their endeavors, and stop dwelling on past mistakes.
In the face of Israel’s draconian measures in Arab East Jerusalem, the city is in urgent need of every financial assistance possible to strengthen its population, build its institutions, and bring its Arab and Islamic character back to this struggling city, the jewel of Palestine.
— Walid M. Awad works for the Central Media Commission, Ramallah.
