Anarchy and Chaos in Gaza

The situation in Gaza is running out of control and the Unity Government brokered by the Saudis is on the verge of total collapse. Factional fighting between Hamas and Fatah resulting in deaths on both sides is increasing. Attempts are being made by various Palestinian factions to prevent this. While the respite in fighting may cease temporarily, the rift between Hamas and Fatah is widening. Complicating the matter even further is the continuous firing of Qassam rockets into Israel causing injury and damage.

It is becoming more difficult to understand the motives behind the Palestinian struggle. The factional fighting between Hamas and Fatah is tearing Palestinian aspirations for independence from the occupation apart. There is a power struggle between the two sides that is moving out of control. As much as many of us would like to see the end of the occupation and the establishment of a viable Palestinian state, independent economically and based on democracy, justice and peace, this will remain an ever evasive dream.

Palestinians went to the polls to vote for a new government one and a half years ago. They voted out the corrupt Fatah Palestinian Authority and voted in a Hamas Government, which promised clean government and a better future for the Palestinian people. Today there are no signs that they kept their electoral promises. All they did was continuing their non-pragmatic and irreconcilable hate for Israel and fomenting violence between the various Palestinian factions. Hamas and its military wing are involved in fraternal strife and intrigue. They are not interested in putting the Palestinian house in order and assuming responsible government. There have been no attempts to build institutes and infra-structures, which would provide the Palestinian with meaningful employment, not to mention economic viability and prosperity. Hamas and their allies seem more interested in gaining power at a great cost in blood to outlaw any opposition by violence. They do not intend to share power. They wish to establish a radical Islamist state which would destroy all vestiges of democracy. They wish to rule by the sword.

Anarchy is the result and the Palestinian people are being terrorized by the Hamas violence in Gaza. The situation is further complicated by the firing of Qassam rockets into Sderot to commemorate Al Naqba (the catastrophe). Today and for the last couple of years, life in Sderot has been shear hell for its citizens. An end to the occupation is the dream of most Israelis today. There is no Palestinian Authority capable of maintaining law and order and ensuring good government. This fact must be admitted with great pain! If more territory is handed over unilaterally to the Palestinians, a vacuum will be created that will be filled rapidly by Hamas terrorists. There will be no government in Palestine, but a ruling class of war mongers and terrorists, which will not only be a threat to Israel, but also to the Palestinian people themselves. This would create the ideal conditions for Iran to extend its influence and re-arm the various factions for its own personal gains. Al Qaeda factions would also find the situation ripe for their increased presence in the Gaza strip as well.

There is only one reason behind the firing of Qassam rockets into Israel and this is to minimize the factional fighting between Hamas and Fatah and to create unity between them. They are doing this in the hope that Israel will retaliate. Israeli retaliation will then unite the various warring Palestinian factions as they run screaming to the UN to draft another anti-Israel revolution condemning Israel for “genocide and ethnic cleansing”. This ranting and raving by Hamas and its allies are very successful in gaining support for their cause of artificial unity between the warring power seeking Palestinian factions.

It would be wise of Israel not to retaliate to the Qassam rocket fire for these reasons. A sign of strength is gritting one’s teeth and bearing the Qassam onslaught, taking appropriate precautions to minimize damage and loss of life as much as possible. Any other tactic of retaliation would play into the hands of Hamas.

While the chaos and anarchy continues between Hamas and Fatah, the chances of an end to the occupation being replaced by a viable Palestinian state remains remote as there is nobody on the Palestinian side capable of taking over from Israel. This is an unfortunate irrefutable reality! Hamas is a cancerous growth in Palestinian society! Those responsible for its creation are now reaping the fruits of chaos, anarchy and hate. Responsible government and an orderly end to the occupation are not in the lexicon of the Hamas Covenant which makes their intentions clear.

The Mickey Mouse cartoons that are used to brainwash children to become suicide bombers is a sign of the Hamas disease of hate and terror. There is great potential there for “genocide and ethnic cleansing” of the Jews true to Hamas style. (See clip 1446)

The Pain of Al Naqba (the Catastrophe)

For Israel it is joy - the celebration of Independence Day – when the Jews, after more than 2000 years of exile, have returned to their ancient homeland when Israel was established in 1948. The majority of the world had voted for the partition plan for the establishment of Israel and Palestine - two states for two peoples. After the Holocaust during the notorious Nazi Period, the world became sensitive to the needs of the Jewish People and this was responsible in no small measure to the establishment of Israel as a haven for the Jewish People in 1948.

However, out of the joy for one people, the tragedy for another people was also created. This subject has become charged emotionally that it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the truth as to what happened during those years prior to 1948 and the end of World War 2 which found many Jewish survivors of Europe displaced because of the Nazi genocide against the Jews.

Many historians are raising questions about Israel’s establishment and its effect on the Palestinians. What happened to the Palestinians because of Israel’s establishment has to be re-examined objectively and truthfully. There are so many versions to what had happened and both Palestinians and Israelis view their history from a different perspective entirely. Each side justifies its actions. This has resulted in the loss of many facts, and the truth of what happened lies somewhere between both the Israeli and Palestinian version of what had actually occurred.

Events from the Palestinian side have not been fully documented. Palestinians claim that the Zionists were responsible for burying many facts and overlooking the expulsion of Palestinians from Israel. They maintain that the Palestinian refugee problem was created solely by Israel. Massive immigration of Jews resulted in displacement of the Palestinians who were driven out en masse. Many Palestinian villages were destroyed and rebuilt by the fledgling Israeli state and given new names. According to Palestinian Refugee Research Net (PRRN), “estimates vary of the number of Palestinians refugees displaced from within what became the borders of Israel in 1948. In 1949, the United Nations Conciliation Commission put the number at 726,000; the newly-established United Nations Relief and Works Agency subsequently put the number at 957,000 in 1950.

The Israeli government has in the past suggested numbers as low as 520,000, while Palestinian researchers have suggested up to 850,000. Of this population, approximately one-third fled to the West Bank, another third to the Gaza Strip, and the remainder to Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon or farther a field.”
In order to solve the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, emphasis must be placed on the truth of what happened prior to Israel’s establishment and the relationships between Jews and Arabs before Israel’s establishment. From the truth, a solution acceptable to both sides of the conflict is possible.

Naturally, it is desirable that Palestinian refugees and their offspring are consulted so that they can contribute to a solution to the conflict. The number of refugees and their offspring involved should not be overlooked.

At the same time, Israel should show more understanding towards Palestinian sensitivities and pain on the issue of Al Naqba. This does not mean that the attitude of the Arab leadership at that time is blameless for the Palestinian tragedy. It would be appropriate to read Professor Shlomo Avnery’s well written article “Until they accept responsibility” on this subject which appeared in Haaretz on 11^th May 2007. He writes:
“The Palestinians will mark the annual Nakba Day on May 15, as they have done in previous years. We must listen to their voices. As human beings and as Jews we must listen and be attentive to the other’s pain, even if the other is - at the moment - our enemy. However, we must listen critically”.

Any claims by Israel to play down the importance of this in the Palestinian psyche are unproductive and callous. In the past, Israel has shown total insensitivity to Palestinian feelings, especially since the June War of 1967 and has been more sensitive towards the colonization and well being of the illegal settlers (including the right wing religious Jewish Zealots) on the West Bank, rather than improving the socio-economic situation of the Palestinian People under occupation. Israel is responsible for the wellbeing of the Palestinian people under occupation. Failure to assume that responsibility had led to the birth of a new generation of Palestinians who grew up under occupation that provided them with no hope for the future. It had created a generation of young Palestinians, filled with hate for Israel and this resulted in the violence and suicide bombings that caused so many tragic deaths. A nation that is satisfied, strong and viable economically would not use all means at its disposal to create violence and bloodshed in order to achieve its independence. This has also exacerbated the existential problem that Israel had with the Palestinians and the wider Arab world since its establishment.

The time has arrived for a reappraisal of Israeli attitudes towards peace with the Palestinians and the Arab world which is largely dependent on that. The Saudis have suggested their peace plan and lately Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora called on Israel to adopt the Saudi peace initiative that calls for normalized ties between Israel and the Arab world in return for a full Israeli withdrawal from lands captured in the 1967 Six-Day War.

In an opinion piece, published in the New York Times on Friday 11th May 2007, Siniora said that the Arab world is “not interested in wiping Israel off the map, but in achieving legitimate goals of cease-fire, safe borders and the opportunity for all area residents to live in peace and security". Israel must not look for reasons to disregard the Saudi Peace Initiative or any overtures towards peace coming from Arab leaders. It is imperative on Israel for the sake of peace to take note of these overtures and cease its manipulations and excuses for not wanting to negotiate. No doubt, there will be tough negotiations but the reward for true peace and recognition is a small price instead of the heavy price because of futile wars which achieve nothing but bloodshed, tragedy and death.

The Palestinian People must come to terms with Israel’s existence and Israel’s goal must be ending the occupation and returning to the borders prior to the 1967 Six Day War. Violence and bloodshed on both sides must make way for peaceful negotiations and dual recognition of each nation’s right to live in secure, recognized borders
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Despite the differences in the situations between Israel and apartheid South Africa, there are some lessons that could be learnt from the South African model of reconciliation. Archbishop Desmond Tutu had established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission whereby those responsible for injustices inflicted under apartheid were made to confess to those who suffered. This had proved a great success in starting a process of healing between black and white peoples of South Africa. The transition from apartheid minority White Rule to democratic majority Black Rule was peaceful. Perhaps a similar model could be applied to the Palestinian – Israeli Conflict where both peoples can ask forgiveness from one another for the tragedies inflicted on one another because of the conflict. The parameters are different but the principle of healing is the same. This could be the beginning of a healing process for the benefit of both Palestinians and Israelis.

The Israeli Paradox

The Winograd Report has come out. This has caused a stir in the handling of the Lebanese War of July/August 2006. The “triumvirate” (PM Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister, Amir Peretz and the former Chief –of –Staff, Dan Halutz) of Israel were blamed for the way the war was conducted and its resulting failure. The war ended inconclusively. The Israeli Army went into Lebanon causing wanton destruction and death of many Lebanese citizens as well as Israeli soldiers in their line of duty. It left Hezbollah relatively unscathed as their firing of Katyusha rockets deep into Israel continued until a declaration of a cease-fire. This caused much damage to property as well as many Israeli civilian deaths. The war was an exercise in futility and had damaged Israel’s deterrent power. Decisions to go to war were rash, bad and unnecessary. There was no planned strategy from the beginning as was obvious when Katyusha rockets rained on Israel with impunity, irrespective of Israel’s air strikes.

The Winograd Report resulted in a rather strange paradox. The left and right wing in Israel joined hands in their common desire to force Olmert and Peretz to resign from their positions in the cabinet because of their failure in the war.

On 3^rd May 4, 2007, a huge demonstration was held in Rabin Square (which is well known for many demonstrations including the tragic evening when PM Yitschak Rabin was assassinated on 5^th November 1995) in Tel Aviv. Both the left wing and the right wing supporters of the occupation joined forces in this strange demonstration. It remains incomprehensible why the left wing took part. The right wing has an obvious goal and that is to replace PM Olmert with the right wing Likud leader, Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu. The left wing, by default although not by intention, has played into the hands of Netanyahu’s supporters in trying to achieve this. It would have been prudent of the left to abstain from demonstrations against the pathetic Olmert-Peretz leadership. The left wing has no viable alternative to Olmert or Netanyahu. Ehud Barak, another prime ministerial failure wishes to make a come back. This is as ridiculous as it is pathetic! There does not seem to be a viable alternative to the bad Olmert Government.

The demonstration would have served a greater purpose had the demonstrators called for the resignation of the government on the grounds that it is weak and unable to carry out meaningful negotiations for peace between Israel and its Palestinian neighbours as well as a call for an ending of the occupation. The right wing settler movements would not have come to demonstrate. This would have sent a positive message on the desire to make peace and pressured the weak, corruption-ridden government of Olmert to resign.

Bibi Netanyahu has had his turn at being prime minister and was a failure. When he served as finance minister, he introduced a draconian “support and growth tax” in order to increase the income of the government’s coffers at the expense of the weaker public sector whose earning power is poor. People had to pay this tax and there was no accountability for it. The excuse was that Israel’s economy had to be bailed out of the doldrums that it was in at the time. Meanwhile some Likud members were raking in cash at the tax payers’ expense. This included the director of the Income Tax Authority, Jackie Matza and his friends, one of whom is the director of the PM Office, who is now on the verge of being put on trial for bribery and corruption. All this occurred during the time that the Likud was in power. How short the Israeli memory is! All the corruption scandals occurred during the Likud Coalition under Ariel Sharon prior to the 2006 Israeli Elections. When Ariel Sharon left the Likud over the disengagement fiasco and formed the Kadima party, many Likud members, with a dubious past in clean government, joined him. People like Tzachi Hanegbi, Avraham Hirschson (the recently resigned Finance Minister) and even PM Ehud Olmert are under suspicion of corruption, just to mention a few. Considering all these factors, it is scandalous enough for the electorate to demand the government’s resignation without the added findings of the Winograd Report. Is it possible that the Israeli Electorate (which is now growing more right wing) wishes to return failed party political hacks back into the government?

If, by remote chance, the government forms a caretaker government because of public pressure, and elections are declared within a few months, the electorate will not change its voting patterns. The result will once again not allow any party to gain an absolute majority as has been the case since Israel’s establishment. The Israeli Electoral system is so flawed that going to vote has become an exercise in futility and frustration. In any case, one will always land up with a coalition of opposites that is incapable of making decisions for good, clean government and for the achievement of peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

It looks as if the bruised Olmert, who is a shrewd politician in his own right, will weather the storm of protest and survive albeit in a further weakened state.

All that remains for the Israeli Electorate under these conditions is to place a white paper in the ballot box to register disgust for a voting system that ensures ongoing chaos in the formation of any new government.

Corruption in High Places

Israel is very much at the crossroads with its present government. After the March 2006 Israeli Elections, the government coalition promised the Israeli people clean government and a movement towards peace with the Palestinians and the neighbouring Arab countries. Both promises are far from fruition and the corruption scandals are surfacing like mushrooms. Every day there is a new corruption surprise. The previous Likud affiliated cartels that were running the country lost the elections. The rot set in from the president downwards. Even the Income Tax Authority was not immune from this. Jackie Matza, the directorof the Income Tax Authority had to resign because of investigations of bribery and corruption against him and his team. This included a very senior member of the Prime Minister’s Office staff, Shula Zaken, who was also part of the cartel receiving various kick backs. The list seems endless. Even the Finance Minister, Avraham Hirschson suspended himself because of strong suspicions of corruption as reported in the Jerusalem Post 23^rd April 2007.

PM Ehud Olmert is also under suspicion of irregularities as asserted by the state comptroller, Micha Lindenstraus, The Attorney-General, Meni Mazuz, ruled that Olmert can hold the finance portfolio for a limited period of time because of these suspicions. However, he did not state the length of the “limited period of time”.

There seems to be a lapse of memory in the public who forget that many of the current Kadima MKs was members of the Likud. This was the period when most of these irregularities occurred. It is as if their change of party loyalties from Likud to Kadima would cleanse them of their shady activities and make them as pure as driven snow. A leopard never changes his spots even when he changes his political party.

How can these elected legislators promise clean government when they are stained by corrupt activities of the previous government of which they formed an integral part? Those who are to blame for this situation is the shortsightedness of the Israeli electorate who voted these dubious characters into power. These reputation stained pseudo-legislators are destroying the instruments of good, clean government. The damage that they do to Israel’s credibility is far greater than the anti-Israel forces beyond its borders. It cripples the government decision making process and this includes negotiations for a peaceful solution to the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict which ought to take top priority.

The legislators call themselves Zionists and claim that they are interested in the welfare of Israel and its people. How laughable! How hypocritical! They are interested in feathering their own nests and the interests (mostly financial) of their affiliated cartels, even if it is by corruption and deviousness! This is the behaviour of a banana republic, but not a modern democratic state priding itself with ruling in accordance with the law. Important issues such as peace negotiations with the Arab world, including the Palestinians, have been placed on the backburner while the legislators fall foul of the law and seek expensive elitist lawyers to bail them out to save their blemished reputations. What about the Saudi Initiative for peace? This is the first time in the history of the State of Israel that an important Arab state has put forth a reasonable plan for negotiation and full recognition of Israel only to have it scuttled by a corruption tainted Israeli leadership who has rendered itself impotent by its own folly and dishonesty with the electorate whom it claims to represent.

Zionism is being replaced by the cancer of corruption. It is polluting Israeli society and fracturing it even further. If Israel’s citizens find it hard to believe their elected Knesset members, how can we expect the Palestinians to believe agreements that they sign with Israel’s dubious leaders?

Is there a country in the democratic world where the prime minister condemns the state comptroller for uncovering irregularities in his personal business affairs involving public money? These misdemeanors (or worse still, suspected criminal activities) have been brought to public notice by the press.

The prime minister or cabinet minister, because of his position, must be transparent in his dealings with public funds or tax payer’s money. This is the price to be paid for these senior positions. The president’s sexual harassment charges, including the rape suspicions, are a reflection of poor judgment of the party political hacks that nominated him for that honored position in the first place.

It looks as if we are entering the post-Zionistic period. This means the replacement of Zionism with a heartless materialism whereby the poor get poorer and the rich get richer as Israel’s wealthy members of society continues the race for gaining influence in the shady governmental echelons of power and corruption. This is the scramble for cartel membership at its worst (protektsia). It is a danger for the future of human rights and democracy. It lays the field open for oligarchs like Arkady Gaidemak to give massive humanitarian donations to various causes for the unfortunate replacing the government’s responsibility for the welfare of the poor. He buys their support to give him a Knesset seat in the next elections despite his denials to the contrary.

Prime Minister Olmert fiddles while Jerusalem burns. Attack of the state comptroller for doing his job efficiently is the best form of defense. This should be red light warning to the public. Could this mean that there is a prime ministerial cover-up of dubious legal business activities or maybe even criminal activity? Surely the state comptroller should be praised for exposing that rather than being maligned by the prime minister.

The government’s credibility is on the line and should resign.

Is Intermarriage a Possible Solution to the Conflict?

So much has been written about a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict! So many peace plans have been put forward in order to find some common ground on which to negotiate an end to this conflict. The hate between the two sides has not subsided. An end to the conflict remains ever evasive. The problem between the two sides remains existential. The inability of Hamas to come to terms with Israel’s existence and Israel’s dubious attitude towards any form of Arab initiative remains couched in clichés and statements which are meaningless. The result is the seemingly eternal deadlock between the two sides. Only one possible solution has not been mentioned. This is the encouragement of intermarriage between the two peoples. “What? Are you crazy?” Do I sense the raising of eyebrows in total surprise even at the thought?

The idea seems to be unrealistic and even ridiculous to most Israelis and Palestinians for various reasons. A few of these reasons are listed here. There are of course many others.

1. The cultural and religious differences create divisions between the two nations.
2. The generations of hate and distrust that exists between the two peoples.
3. Both Judaism and Islam do not view the idea of marriage between the two peoples in a positive light.
4. The hostile situation between the two peoples keeps them apart so that intermingling and social intercourse is almost impossible. This includes forced separation whether by the security fence, checkpoints and other obstacles.

There are incidents where Moslem men do marry Jewish women but the other way round is forbidden in Islamic law even though the former is not encouraged either.

“The most commonly accepted interpretation is that Islam only allows a man to marry a non-Muslim only if she is Christian or Jewish. However the order is for believing man to marry believers of God only. The wife need not adopt any Muslim laws, and the husband is not allowed to keep her from going to church or synagogue. One of Muhammad's wives was Christian Copt (Maria al-Qibtiyya) and another was Jewish (Safiyya bint Huyayy). According to this interpretation, which is based on the verses that prohibit marriage between Muslims and dualists, Muslim women are not allowed to marry non-believers.

Islam clearly forbids Muslim women from marrying non-believing men. Some Muslim scholars (ahli kitab) go so far as to state that such a marriage is an act of apostasy. If a non-Muslim woman is married to a non-believing man, and she converts to Islam, the marriage is suspended until her husband converts to Islam. When he converts a new marriage is not needed.” (From Wikipedia)

In Judaism, intermarriage is discouraged and is even forbidden. However, this issue is being debated more and attitudes are showing signs of change amongst Reconstructionist and Reform Jews.

Bearing all these factors mentioned in mind, the idea of intermarriage between Jews and Moslems in the Middle East seems totally absurd and unrealistic. However, does this mean that it should not even be discussed or considered? Logically speaking when one considers the situation here perhaps this is true. Nevertheless, it might be interesting to give some thought to this rather far-fetched, imaginative solution to this conflict.

The bloodshed and hate in this part of the world is tragic. Attempts to stem that by conventional means of negotiated treaties have not succeeded in the past. It is left to the people on both sides to establish a dialogue between each other. Today, with the advent of internet, outreach programmes on the net whereby people all over the world, even countries hostile to one another, can form friendships by utilizing the various chat programmes freely available on the net. Bonds can be formed between peoples engaged in dialogue. This form of dialogue breaks down barriers between peoples of opposing sides and in certain circumstances, people can even find potential marriage partners of differing faiths in this way. The world is becoming a smaller place and many view the world as a global village where religious differences are becoming less important. People will eventually come to terms with a common humanity that transcends all. In the Middle East, with its highly charged atmosphere of emotionalism, the people do not encourage this scenario. Despite that, there are signs that modern communication technology will effect human relations across the great divide as both sides will discover their common humanity. It may not happen today or tomorrow, but it will happen in the future which may be closer than we think.

After the initial airing of differences between the “warring sides”, people initiate relationships amongst each other, discovering that they have more in common than what divides them. The saying that “opposites attract one another” does ring true in many cases. The barriers of hate and distrust could fall including the stereotypes that hostile enemies have created against each other. What is left is the basic human relationship between the opposite sexes which could lead to a meeting and eventually even marriage in some cases. This scenario could occur. If more people of opposing sides in the conflict were to indulge in chat dialogue, it is conceivable that relationships between two peoples of opposite sex could become attracted to one another once they reach the “lowest common denominator” that binds them together.

This is a very positive aspect and problems between the two sides would simply melt without the meddling of political leaders of both sides of the conflict. The occupation would simply cease in a natural way as a new order could be established. There would be a common humanity and the conflict would cease even without a peace treaty. There would be a new nation consisting of both peoples in total harmony and creating a mixed generation of Palestinian – Israelis. This may sound like heresy and maybe even absurd.

Perhaps this is far-fetched within today’s context, but possible and even desirable in the future. The alternative is further bloodshed, wars and hate in a seemingly never ending conflict. Surely intermarriage between the two peoples should be encouraged and considered as one of many solutions for ending the conflict. Today the situation demands it as everything else has failed despite the fact that people are not ready for such a revolutionary change in traditional religious attitudes towards intermarriage today.

The Dilemmas of Prisoner Exchanges and Kidnappings

On July 25^th 2006, Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier doing his compulsory service was kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists. The intention of his kidnappers was and still is to use him as a bargaining chip for releasing Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons. This method of bargaining by the Hamas and its allies is very effective. The use of threats of not being responsible for whatever happens to Shalit if their demands are not met is a form of ransom to exact a high price from Israel.

The decision for Israel is a hard one. To date there is talk of releasing 1400 Palestinian prisoners for Gilad Shalit. Many of these prisoners were responsible for the most horrendous murders of innocent Israelis about their daily business. The decision making on this issue from every point of view is tough. Whatever decision or agreement coming from this decision will not satisfy all the parties involved, least of all Israeli families who have lost members through terrorist acts.

What Hamas and their allies lack in sophisticated military equipment, they make up in stealth and tactics which has hit the underbelly of Israel very effectively. Israel has proved to be unable to deal effectively with these Palestinian groups. They have not been able to prevent kidnappings of their soldiers by Palestinian vigilantes in the south and Hezbollah in the north. Israel’s bargaining power is weak and within time it will get weaker. The possibility of freeing Gilad Shalit by army intervention is risky and doomed to failure. It is a “Catch 22” situation with no winners. Attempts were made in the past to free kidnapped soldiers and this ended up in tragedy as in the rescue Nachshon Wachsman in 1994, when a critical gap in information (the fact that the soldier was being held behind an iron door that was difficult to burst through) delayed the entry into the room and caused the failure of the entire operation. This scenario could easily repeat itself in the future if the army attempts to free Gilad Shalit.

Apart from that, Israel’s government is weak and much is due to the notorious corruption scandals that is tainting many cabinet ministers, the latest being the Minister of Finance Hirschson and who knows who will be next in line for interrogation by the police. Even PM Olmert has baggage waiting to be opened by the police at the appropriate time. These factors cannot be overlooked when assessing the power of the Israeli Authorities to negotiate or deal with the Palestinian kidnappers.

The moral dilemma is great when it comes to bargaining the release of Gilad Shalit. There is no doubt that prisoners with blood on their hands will be included in the bargain and the ramifications of this will increase the use of the effective kidnapping weapon by the Palestinians in the future. What is obvious is that the Israeli Army has failed to prevent kidnappings of their soldiers. Every kidnapping will exact an increasingly higher price. One needs to examine past kidnappings and the price exacted. The trend is that the price increases and so does the hate against Israel.

Prevention of kidnappings must take top priority to prevent Palestinian terrorists from using this tactic. The fact that kidnappings of Israeli soldiers in their line of duty does occur shows that the Israeli Security Forces have not found an effective way to prevent this from happening.

The bargaining for Shalit’s release will continue and it is not certain when he will be released. The price remains high and the disagreement over the Palestinian prisoner list remains an obstacle in reaching an agreement.

It is possible that Israel will release many Palestinian prisoners who have murdered innocent Israelis as part of the deal. The question that remains is when the murder was perpetrated and under what circumstances. As far as the Palestinians are concerned, prisoners with blood on their hands are considered “freedom fighters against the Israeli occupation”. This gives a reminder to Israel once again how problematic its existence is to the Palestinian extremists. There is no limit as to the number of prisoners that will be released in a deal for Shalit’s release. Their heinous crimes against innocent people are not even a consideration that will prevent their release from the Palestinian viewpoint.

If Israel is genuine in its desire to release bring Gilad Shalit home, it will have to bow down to the demands of the Palestinian negotiators. If they do not, Gilad Shalit’s future in the hands of his captors will remain a big question mark. The possibility of danger to his life cannot be ruled out. The release of Palestinian prisoners could be done in stages to prevent too much of a psychological trauma to victims of terror. Either way, the decision as to which prisoners should be released and when will be a very difficult one for Israel. It will also create a precedent for Hamas to continue to use the “kidnapping weapon” in order to get Israel to pay a heavy price for its demands.

The only way to prevent kidnappings and violence in the end is for both sides to sit down and negotiate a peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians. This should place the ending of the occupation and the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel as top priority. This will also lead to negotiations to solve the right of return of Palestinian refugees, and Jerusalem being the capital of both Israel and Palestine. Logistics for this has to be worked out by the two negotiating partners. The solution to the conflict should be one that is fair to both sides. Both sides will have to make painful decisions. Is any compromise painful for the achievement of true peace between Israel and Palestine? Surely an end to the conflict is advantageous to both peoples.

The Importance of the Arab (Saudi) Peace Initiative

The Arab Peace Initiative is an interesting development towards granting Israel an opportunity to develop normal diplomatic relations with its Arab neighbours. This development is positive, and Israel should take it seriously. It is a reasonable starting point to begin negotiations. Of course, as mentioned in a previous article, this is dependent on Israel’s willingness to return to the pre-1967 borders, the right of return of 1948 Palestinian refugees and the declaration of a Palestinian state alongside Israel with East Jerusalem as its capital.

While the latter three points are problematic from Israel’s point of view, it does not negate the positive elements in this plan. It is a reasonable starting point for a permanent peace between Israel and its Arab neighbours, including the Palestinians.

Israel had a turbulent history from its establishment and the fact that the core of the problem was the Arab States’ total opposition to Israel’s establishment in 1948. They declared war on Israel – the War of Independence. They never recognized Israel’s right to exist. This was the first of Israel’s many wars for survival which resulted in a tragic Palestinian refugee problem, which exists to this day.

Since then, there were more wars between Israel and her Arab neighbours:

1. 1956 Suez War

2. 1967 Six Day War of June 1967

3. 1973 Yom Kippur War

4. 1982 Lebanese War

5. 2006 2^nd Lebanese War

There were also the two intifadas (Palestinian Uprisings) of 1987 and 2000.

Now there is the possibility of reaching an agreement with the neighbouring Arab states and normalization. Israel should not dismiss this peace initiative out of hand despite its disagreement with points in the initiative.

According to Ze’ev Schiff of Ha’aretz, it took the Arab states 40 years to arrive at the decisions that they did in Riyadh - recognizing Israel, calling for peace and normalization and willingness to negotiate. They have laid down some very tough conditions, of course, but the Arab countries leading the initiative know very well that Israel will not accept the return of Palestinian refugees.

The attitude in 1967 was well illustrated at the Khartoum Arab Summit of 1st September 1967 “no peace, no talks, no recognition of Israel." The leader was the president of Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser.

An interesting observation is that Saudi Arabia is now replacing Egypt as a leader of the Arab World and Egypt is now playing a secondary role in trying to mediate between the Israelis and Palestinians, despite the fact that Egypt and not Saudi Arabia has diplomatic relations with Israel.

The United States is embroiled in Iraq and its record of credibility is decreasing rapidly in the Middle East. How can the US act as “honest broker” in the Arab-Israeli Conflict when it has failed hopelessly in Iraq to a certain extent in Afghanistan? In the latter country, the Taliban is showing signs of becoming influential and powerful again. The US cannot be taken seriously anymore. Their power and influence is diminishing. It appears that the only movement towards peace in the Middle East must come from the Arab states in the Middle East, including Israel and the Palestinians. This becomes even more obvious as all the countries of the Middle East, including Israel and the Palestinians, have a more serious problem with which to contend. The problem is Iran which is a potential nuclear threat to all. Iran wishes to control the Middle East and they are a threat to the moderate Arab states no less than Israel which President Ahmadinajad wishes to destroy.

It remains to be seen whether Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will accept the Arab Peace initiative as a starting point to begin negotiations on normalization of relations with Israel’s Arab neighbours. Olmert seems to be very dubious in his attitude towards the Arab Peace initiative. He is talking with two voices. He makes statements supporting peace and at the same time not showing any desire to end the conflict by deeds. It would serve the interests of all the peoples in the Middle East if Israel were more forthcoming in accepting the peace initiative as a positive starting point to end the conflict permanently. Sticking points in the peace initiative, such as right of return of 1948 refugees, should remain open for negotiation so that a just solution satisfactory to all parties to the conflict can be reached. If this problem remains a hot potato then it would hinder progress in achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians and the neighbouring Arab states. All issues, including the status of East Jerusalem should be discussed and a just solution found with which both sides could agree.

On the Palestinian track, emphasis should be placed on prisoner exchanges and a return home of the kidnapped Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit. Israel should consider talking to all members of the Palestinian National Unity Government despite the problem of the semantics of recognition of Israel by Hamas. President Mahmoud Abbas represents the National Unity Government and not parts of it. He should be viewed as the man with the powers of decision making despite his well known weaknesses and the person with whom Israel must negotiate as the representative of the Palestinian Authority. Only by conducting peaceful and meaningful negotiations can there be movement towards the establishment of a Palestinian state which is more than overdue. Both Palestinians and Israelis must cease hostilities towards each other, Qassam rocket fire in the south and Israeli Army incursions must end.

According to Al Ahram Weekly 5^th – 11^th April, Israel's prime minister is engaged in a public relations exercise. Meanwhile, it is business as usual, as his army plans a wide ranging assault against Gaza, reports Khaled Amayreh from East Jerusalem. This would be detrimental towards creating the atmosphere for negotiations on peace.

On the Lebanese track, serious negotiations should begin with Hezbollah to return the two kidnapped Israeli soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. Both sides should climb down from the high branches of the tree to achieve this. While the soldiers remain in captivity, Israel should not remain adamant in its refusal to negotiate their release with Hezbollah.

A serious opportunity for a final peace settlement between Israel and its Arab neighbours has arrived. It would be a great pity if Israel refuses to accept this challenge for peace with her neighbours.

The National Unity Government and Peace

One would expect that there would be some movement towards a cease-fire as a good will gesture towards the world of nations. Instead, only a few days after the national unity government was formed, an Israeli employee of the Electricity Supply Co. was wounded by Hamas sniper fire. The Egyptians also captured a Hamas activist from Gaza who was planning a suicide attack in Israel.

What does this mean for the future of peace between Israelis and Palestinians under the national unity government? Does this mean that the national unity government is ignoring terror attacks against Israel? It is still early days to come to any conclusion about that. Dr. Mustapha Barghouti has been appointed Minister of Information. His task is to market the national unity government to global and Israeli public opinion. According to Y-Net, 16th March 2007, Barghouti stated: "Israel's stance is wrong. The new Palestinian government is not only a Hamas government, but also the government of all the Palestinian people. The unity government represents the choice of 90 percent of Palestinian voters," he explained.

Barghouti said it was strange that Israel decided to reject the new government before seeing its plans and platform.

Addressing the platform, he said that "what was published is speculation, as the platform has not been finalized yet and is now being formed. Apart from that, why shouldn’t it include the right of return?"

According to a report in Haaretz March 20^th, 2007, Palestinian sources claim that two commanders of the Hamas military wing, Jamal al-Jara and Yusuf al-Zahar, brother of former foreign minister, Mahmoud al-Zahar were responsible for the attacks. These two individuals are engaging in terrorist activity in order to goad Israel into a sharp reaction that will cripple the national unity government. Tactically, this would serve the purposes of these two ambitious rogue Hamas commanders who oppose the national unity government. It is a matter of sour grapes! They never received a post in the national unity government and this is their method of revenge against it.

Whenever there is an attempt to move towards a new order of unity in the Palestinian camp, there is always a backlash of hard-line terrorists, who can only survive on destruction of the new order, in order to draw Israel into violent retaliation. The main reason for that is (according to them) “while Israel occupies Palestinian territory, the right of armed struggle must be observed”. No thought is given for the welfare of the Palestinians at all! It is a power struggle between opposing Palestinian camps. Their use of violence towards Palestinians and Israelis is cynical. It will result in further bloodshed, hate and lack of progress towards an independent Palestinian state. As far as the Hamas affiliated hardliners are concerned, the occupation is not just the areas occupied in the 1967 Six Day June War but the State of Israel since its establishment in 1948.

Many Palestinian hardliners say that Israel is the occupation – “al Naqba – the catastrophe” of 1948, and has no right to exist! Their desire is the destruction of Israel and driving the Jews into the sea. While there are some Hamas members in the national unity government who believe in this, the chances of peace negotiations and movement towards the end of the occupation is very remote indeed. It makes no difference, whether it is the constant travels of Dr. Condeleeza Rice, the new UN secretary general, Banki-moon or any other peace broker, the chances of peace between the Palestinians will remain evasive for many years in the future. The problem between the two peoples remains existential.

There is a chance despite this that the national unity government, because of its great need for financial assistance from the world of nations, might modify its anti-Israel stance and show pragmatism by coming to terms with Israel’s existence, albeit grudgingly.

The Arab Peace Initiative of 2002 has been relaunched during the recent Riyadh Summit. It seems that the original Road Map plan as approved by the quartet (US, UN, EU and Russia) has been tossed aside in favor of this peace initiative.

There is room for some optimism towards peace in the Middle East. For the first time there is now a plan that has received widespread support by the Arab nations attending the Riyadh Summit that also includes an end to the state of war between Israel and her Arab neighbours, including the Palestinians. It also includes normalization of relations between Israel and her Arab neighbours. On the face of it, Israel rejects this peace plan. Israel should not reject this peace initiative out of hand. From Israel’s point of view, there will be disagreements over the right of return of 1948 refugees and the status of Jerusalem. Despite this, the plan has many positive elements. The two sticking points should remain open for negotiation to find a just and permanent solution. It should not be an obstacle justifying a rejection by Israel. If Israel rejects this plan outright, she will be viewed as not interested in achieving peace with her Arab neighbours. The plan is a positive start and if accepted in the right spirit as a starting point for negotiations with agreed changes to its format, even with reservations, it could mark the end of hostilities between Israel and her Arab neighbours.

At the same time, it remains to be seen whether President Mahmoud Abbas will be able to bring the hardliners in the national unity government to agree to negotiate a permanent peace treaty with Israel.

According to a report in Haaretz, 29^th March 2007, P.M. Ehud Olmert seeks talks with Saudis and moderate Arab states. It is not true that Israel rejects peace negotiations outright. It is an unfortunate fact that Israel had been plagued with so many acts of terror against its civilian population by infiltrating Palestinian suicide bombers that it is unable to accept this Arab Peace initiative without a sense of skepticism. According to Al Jazeera, March 31^st 2007, the EU is prepared to deal with non-Hamas ministers of the national unity government. How this will achieve peace remains a large question. Mustapha Barghouti has stated that negotiations are with the national unity government and not with desired parts of it.

The main problem that Israel has is a security problem and until Hamas (the dominant members of the national unity government) comes to terms with Israel’s existence and is prepared to accept a Palestinian state alongside Israel as well as cease to support terror operations against Israel, there is very little chance of achieving peace in the Middle East.