February 10, 2009


What Do We Want? Peace! When do we want it? Now!

At this hour, both leading candidates in the Israeli elections are claiming victory; by all accounts, it will take several weeks for the candidates to go through the process of forming a government. The timing is auspicious, with regard to prospects for peace. The final outcome in terms of who yields power, may be less important than the transformed world in which the new office-holders will find themselves.

The Obama administration has signalled to the Arab world the desire to begin a new relationship. BushCheney related to the middle east largely through its' crowned heads. By contrast, Obama is talking directly to intellectuals, businessmen and ordinary citizens. He understands that to gain credibility with Arab states and their people, he must demonstrate openness to change through both words and through his actions in the region. For a head of state to be respected, promises made must be redeemed. Obama demonstrated by his appearance on al Arabiya his understanding that the basic posture of all diplomatic dialogue must be mutual respect on a footing as equals; a point that persistently escaped BushCheney.

The world already understands that no American president will allow the pursuit of peace to compromise the security of Israel, so it is clear that any new conversation in the middle east must have at its core, the goal of justice for Palestine; i.e., an implementation of the two-state solution. And so, the understanding present in the world today, is that a new relationship with Arab people is desired, and therefore a solution to the barrier to that relationship is required. And therefore peace is possible

So in the very act of raising the question of how he would redeem his promise, President Obama answers it. The only possible way forward, is a demonstrated commitment to peace from day one, and this Obama has done.

The president's pledge to meet other nations on equal terms creates an enormous pressure on Iran in general and Ahmadinejad in particular, to enter into good-faith discussions. In upcoming Iranian presidential elections, Ahmadinejad, who is fighting for his job in a tight race with reform candidate Mohammad Khatami, has already toned down his anti-west, anti-Israeli and anti-Semetic trash talk.

Obama's interview on al Arabiya also signals to Israel that while our pursuit of peace will not compromise Israeli security, neither will it tolerate Israeli intransigence. In order to talk with Iran, and with Syria - both necessary precedents to the immediate goal of re-uniting Palestinian leadership, the American position must be strong for Palestine. On both sides, risks and sacrifices will be required. To take risks or make sacrifices people must believe that peace is not just a promise for the future,
but an immediate possibility.

American expectations alone can't make it happen. But with the end of American obstruction, and the beginning of active and intelligently pursued diplomacy, in alliance with the support to be expected from the Western Alliance, and the support to be earned from the Arab states in the region, the possibilities for peace are better now than they have been for many years, and certainly better than they may ever be again.

So new Israeli leadership faces a choice. To allow continued settlement in the West Bank, creates a reality on the ground, that if left unchecked and not reversed in a settlement deal, will eventually - indeed very soon - make implementation of any two-state configuration impossible. Israel will then face a political future within its' borders, in which demographics predict an Arab birthrate that will soon eclipse the Jewish majority in Israel, and eventually end the Zionist state. A fate which Israel can only avert by creating a disenfranchised class of Israeli citizens, a clearly unacceptable outcome.
So the time is now for a coordinated response to the present reality, and it is well that new leadership in Israel come into office understanding that a momentum for peace is building. Great risks will need to be taken, and great sacrifices made. But great dangers may yet be averted and peace is still possible.


DHL