Washington — Americans for Peace Now (APN) shares the vision of the majority of Israelis and Jews that Israel should be a Jewish, democratic state living in peace and security with its neighbors. For more than 20 years, Israel’s Peace Now has been working toward this goal.
Among both Israelis and Palestinians are people vehemently opposing the prospect of two states for two peoples, and who will use any means to prevent it. These people cannot be permitted to win.
Our objective cannot be achieved solely by military means. Military strength must be matched by political vision and will that offer a path out of the cycle of attacks and reprisals, and lead to negotiations that will eventually produce an agreement enabling Israelis and Palestinians to live side-by-side, each in their own state. Failure to conceive and implement such a vision will mean continued insecurity for Israel’s citizens.
Moreover, continued Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip will, within one generation, mean the end to Israel as a democratic state with a Jewish majority. Instead, it will become home to two peoples locked in perpetual conflict, with Israel forced to decide whether to grant full citizenship rights to a people who do not support a Zionist state and outnumber those who do, or create an undemocratic system in which a Jewish minority dominates a restive, non-Jewish Palestinian majority.
This scenario would be a nightmare for Israel and all of us who support the Jewish state. It is not the Zionist vision for Israel’s future for which APN, or the majority of Jews and Israelis, have fought for generations.
What Arafat must do
Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat must decide whether he will join the world in fighting terror or will relegate future generations of Palestinians to misery and strife.
Regardless of what Israel’s government says, only Arafat can determine, by his own actions, whether he is relevant to the outcome of this conflict and the future of the Palestinian people. Similarly, Arafat can determine whether the Palestinians will take advantage of the window of opportunity created by the latest U.S. political initiative or will squander it.
To be relevant, Arafat must swiftly and decisively make a full-faith effort against violence and terror. He must arrest known terrorist leaders, hold them in detention, try and punish them for crimes they have committed. He must root out terrorist cells, seize weapons and shut down factories producing bombs and mortars.
He and others in the P.A. must speak decisively against violence, so the Palestinian people understand that this policy will be seriously enforced. Arafat must make it clear to Israel and the international community that he is making the genuine effort, with verifiable results, that is required to move Israel and the Palestinians back to negotiations.
Failure by Arafat to assert his authority over the past 14 months has bolstered the strength and prestige of groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The challenge he faces today is largely of his own making — his credibility will depend on his willingness and ability to meet this challenge.
What Sharon must do
Military might alone will never bring about security for Israel’s citizens. Israel’s military strength must be coupled with a political vision that provides both sides a credible path to the achievement of their fundamental national goals: security and stability for Israel, and a territorially contiguous and economically viable state for the Palestinians.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s government has yet to provide a credible vision or initiative that would hold any such prospect of a secure two-state solution, regardless of Palestinian performance in combating terror.
Israel has the right to defend itself and its citizens. However, its leaders need to weigh the immediate military and psychological benefits of actions seeking to cripple terrorist groups against the effect of these actions on the Palestinian public — sowing fear, insecurity and hatred; turning terrorists into martyrs and rallying symbols; and making violent retaliation likely.
Furthermore, even stronger military actions are not likely to make Israelis more secure — rather, they risk sparking an escalation of violence that may affect the stability of Jordan and Egypt, leading to a potential regional conflagration.
It is a mistake to declare Arafat “irrelevant” and to launch an offensive at the very moment when the international community is finally putting serious pressure on Arafat to rein in violence and terror. To do so squanders the opportunity provided by this international consensus, moving the focus from pressure on the Palestinians to pointless debate over Arafat’s relevance and scrutiny of Israeli military tactics.
Furthermore, this declaration and the subsequent military offensive undermine P.A. efforts to fight violence and terror, giving the impression to the Palestinian public and leaders that arresting militants does not make the situation better, but worse. It also embarrasses the U.S., which is staking its own prestige on efforts to achieve a cease-fire.
As noted by the U.S. State Department spokesman on Dec. 12, the U.S. is looking to Israel to help achieve a cease-fire, and in this context, both parties need to consider the implications and repercussions of their actions.
Finally, the idea of seeking alternative Palestinian leaders, while reflecting understandable dissatisfaction with Arafat and the P.A., is unrealistic and does not serve Israel’s interests. Rather, an attempt to do so likely would leave Israel with no partner with which to make peace for a long time, and pave the way for the rise of radical Islamic leaders.
No Palestinian in the world would be a serious partner for Sharon in the absence of a credible plan for peace that includes a viable Palestinian state, and past Israeli efforts to locate alternative, more palatable Arab partners or leaders have been counterproductive.
What the U.S. must do
APN supports the view, articulated Dec. 13 by Assistant Secretary of State William Burns, echoed by E.U. Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana, that the U.S. still considers Arafat “the leader of the Palestinian people” and “will continue to work with the Palestinian leadership as it must make the very difficult choices and move against the extremist groups.”
APN calls on the U.S. to make an all-out effort to broker a cease-fire between Israel and the P.A. and help the parties return to negotiations. Despite the challenges and setbacks, it remains in America’s vital national interests to have peace and stability in the Middle East, particularly in the context of America’s global war on terror.
As President Bush suggested to a group of American Jewish leaders at the White House on Dec. 11, “We must compel Arafat to act with results in reining in violence and terrorism. We should hope that he succeeds — it is in America’s interest that he succeeds, and it is Israel’s interest that he succeeds.”
Debra DeLee is president of Americans for Peace Now.
Loading ...