Yohay Elam

 

I remember the excitement on September 13th 1993, when seeing these pictures. The Oslo accords true moment of history. The 2 leaders that fought each other for so many years signed an agreement and shook hands. It was amazing especially when a only a short while before that, there was a law in Israel, forbidding meetings with PLO members.

That opened a very very optimistic period. I was in my teens then and the future looked so bright. Peace negotiations were going on throughout the 90s. A peace treaty with Jordan was signed in 1994. Limited relations with other Arab countries began. The detailed agreement with the Palestinians was signed in May 1994, and another stage was signed in September 1995. In the meantime, the Israeli economy was prospering: Growth rate was around 7% (anualy) and unemployment fell from 11% down to around 5%. On the other hand, there were many terrorist attacks at that time. Suicide bombing began at that era. Many protests cam from the right wing parties and movements. It was very controversial.

November 4th 1995: PM Yitzhak Rabin was murdered. I was there, at was is called now Rabin Square for a big peace rally in support of the government. It came after months of protests and violence from right wing movements. That shock ended my youth and my optimism. I was drafted to the army a few weeks later and everything seemed gloomy. Rabin, the veteran general was gone. He had the trust needed to push such a brave peace process forward.

The following years saw a change of government. Netanyahu’s government kept the peace process alive but slowed down the pace. After that, in 1999 Barak brought new hope. He dragged everyone to Camp David 6 summers ago, but couldn’t reach an agreement. So many words have been spilled on what has happened there. Then the Intifada broke out and this terrible state of conflict has been going on since then. Sharon’s disengagement plan from Gaza that finished just one year and one day ago, brought some hope, but as time passed by, it’s achievements have quite disappeared. Our boys are back in town.

Where are all the leaders now? Rabin was murdered. Stubborn Araft has died in 2004, but his successors aren’t so promising. Clinton has stepped down and gave way to this ignorant, stupid, harmful, miserable failure called Bush. No true leaders are seen around.

But maybe after the war, with a correlation to it or without, the current leaders, inspite being politically weak, can do something. All I am saying, is give peace a chance.

The root of the Israeli Arab conflict is the closest one: the Israeli Palestinian conflict. Since the war broke out, the issues that are related to the conflict are forgotten. The ceasefire that began almost a month ago didn’t help.

At least here, it is still forgotten. Other issues are always higher on the news: the last war of course, the president and justice minister’s sex scandals and other issues. The only interest in Palestinian issues in Israeli mainstream media was with the tabloid story of Suha Arafat’s remarriage. The occupation in the West Bank? Humanitarian crisis and reoccupation in Gaza? Not now.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza is becoming worse. Not everyone has electricity or water over there. Most of the people are unemployed. The lack of funds from the Palestinian Authority to it’s workers is devastating for the poor Palestinian economy.  Israeli soldiers occupy many parts of the strip and the destruction is awful. As long as nothing terrible happens inside Israel (I mean not only Sderot), Gaza strip will stay on the corner of the country, and off the news.

West Bank? The situation there is much better. People there are much richer to begin with. They do have power supply and water. But, the political situation is still preventing them to move freely from village to village. The road blockades have adopted harsher rules. Lines are very long there. The economy there also suffers from the lack of the PAs salaries.

Nowadays, many Israelis are content with the occupation of the West Bank. The places where Israel has control of seem to be quiet. After the retreat from Lebanon 6 years ago, and the disengagement plan just one year ago, many Israeli oppose retreating from more land. So, the occupation of the West Bank is of no concern. I think that the problem is with unilateral steps, not with leaving someone elses land.

A few Israeli bloggers relate to these issues. Even fewer journalists deal with these issues, and their editors don’t place these articles in a high place.

I don’t blame the only the Israeli media. The world doesn’t do much to help out. Palestinian issues are buried deep under lots of other issues.

Don’t the Europeans think that the ongoing conflict could be disturbing also for them? The big Muslim communities in Europe could behave problematically as long as the conflict continues. This could fuel extreme nationalist parties across the continent. This isn’t good for European stability.

America? The conflict affects every American’s pocket, especially at the gas station. The prices of oil are directly affected by the level of flames in the middle east.

The world has many more interests for peace or at least stability in this region.

My biggest concern is for my country’s well being and interests. I am worried about the condition of the Palestinians, although meanwhile it doesn’t affect my life.

It is of my country’s interest to do something. Not only for the Palestinians sake, but for our interests. The current instable situation is bad. Stability will make a great change for our economy and our mood. For many people, the situation seems stable: war is over and nothing bad happens. Is it enough? No, its dangerous! With no agreement, it is just a timeout before another round of violence.

Do we have to wait for a terrorist attack in order to do something? The current depressing status quo for the Palestinians could lead (again) to extreme actions. And after a terrorist attack it will be much harder to start building peace, especially internally. After being hit, a soft policy is not a good idea. We don’t have to justify again the Palestinian claim that “Israel only understands force”. We don’t need big demonstrations from the right wing parties here.

Now is good time to be generous in humanitarian aid. Israel can do a lot to aid, by sending food and medicine, and by lifting the heavy arm from the Palestinians. Leaving Gaza and lifting a few blockades in the West Bank could help.

Now is also a time for starting peace negotiations. There are so many plans that were drawn along the years. I’m sure that an agreement could be reached. I’m sure that the differences are small. I’m also certain that the public opinion on both sides is more ready for concession than it was a few years ago. I don’t believe that an agreement would be reached instantly, but its time to hit the road for peace.

It doesn’t have to be the famous roadmap. In general, it doesn’t have to be coordinated with the current US administration. The interests of the US and Israel aren’t always identical. In the last war, the US didn’t really push for a ceasefire, and pushed us to continue fighting. We have our own interests, and we can certainly push through to achieve them.

The current forgotten situation could blow up, also in our face. So now, when the leaderships on both sides are weak, its time to take a brave step forward for peace.