Looks like Tzipi Livni won the Kadima primary, a relief for those who want a steadfast continuation of peace efforts. Now Israel is moving to national elections, where the next challenge for the direction of the country lies.
It is not surprising that Israeli Jews prefer Israel’s integration with the West over the "Middle East." But what is interesting is that even a majority of Israeli Arabs (or Palestinian citizens of Israel) prioritize raprochement with the West (Europe, US) over the Mideast. click here.
More and more mainstream Palestinians disenchanted with the continuing occupation are wondering if they should get behind the call for a "bi-national" "one state" approach. Most of them prefer a Palestinian State unencumbered by Israeli Jews, and would prefer a two-state solution. But they wonder if negotiations will ever really lead to this, and wonder if Israelis are willing to make the historic sacrifices and compromises necessary (something most Israelis wonder in parallel about Palestinians).
So many Palestinians want to use the "One State" approach more as a threat or bluff, than as a preferred course.
The Palestine Strategy Group (www.PalestineStrategyGroup.ps) just published a paper analyzing alternative options to accelerate either a two state solution or the One State approach.
While a lot of arguments in this study are compelling and make sense for Palestinians who want to end the occupation, I really worry that the movement towards this One State Threat will backfire. Here is why.
If Palestinians start pursuing the one-state approach, to the vast majority of Israelis it will translate to “you see, they want the whole thing, a phased approach to Greater Palestine, so let’s not negotiate anything, because we are not getting any real peace in return.”
The “one-state” “threat” is a dangerous one. On one side it may awaken some people to recognize that if they don’t move fast to end the occupation through two states, that option will disappear. But on the other side most Israelis may be so threatened and turned off by this vision that they will assume Palestinians are not serious about a two state solution.
A MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE IF DIFFICULT APPROACH IS FOR MORE ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS TO RAISE THEIR VOICES AND DEMAND A TWO-STATE-SOLUTION, to put pressure on their politicians, to support moderate policies, to propel an agreement, and TO SHOW THE OTHER SIDE THAT MAJORITIES ARE BEHIND A HISTORIC SOLUTION.
So, to the Palestinian people I recommend: amplify your voice of support for a two-state solution – emphasize you respect Israel’s right to exist, but demand also your liberty and dignity. THAT WILL BE FAR MORE EFFECTIVE IN RALLYING ISRAELIS AND THE WORLD BEHIND YOU.
And to the Israeli people I recommend: get your act together and support the moderate majority of Palestinians who want a two state solution, before it truly becomes too late and we become enmeshed in an eternal battleground. Be a credible partner by showing real progress towards establishing a Palestinian State that is vibrant and free. This can become your formidable partner for the future.
Aluf Benn provided an insightful report on what Olmert "offered’ Abbas as a way to at least insert a proposal that may give him a legacy.
I was forwarded a provocative but interesting article by David Harris, head of AJC. While I am a fervent supporter of Israel as the haven and homeland of the Jewish people, I am very sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinian refugees, and I think more will be accomplished by acknowledging their suffering and then moving on to practical solutions along the Clinton parameters. But Harris does raise some provocative points worthy of consideration. Unfortunately, as with almost everything dealing with the Israeli-Arab conflict, this line of reasoning will appeal to partisan pro-Israeli views and repel partisan pro-Palestinian views, and nothing will come out of it except to further affirm the partisan convictions of each side – which is why I revert back to the approach of helping each side better understand the other’s narrative and then focus on WORKING SOLUTIONS like those offered in OneVoice’s citizen negotiations and the Clinton parameters. Anyway, here is the article:
Thanks to Stacy Perman for a profile about PeaceWorks, KIND, and OneVoice in BusinessWeek yesterday.
From the OneVoice newsletter:
The results are in!
Ø 50 Palestinian winners and 50 Israeli winners have been selected
Ø Read some of the winning essays
Ø Israel & Palestine to Co-Host World Cup in 2018? Check out one vision for the future
· OneVoice Youth Leadership & outreach update
Ø OneVoice Israeli & Palestinian Youth to Tony Blair: “A Mideast Quintet”
Ø From our Gaza office: Town Hall Meeting in Beit Hanoun
Ø OneVoice is Referenced in House of Lords Debate 5 Times
Ø OneVoice Student Leader at Stanford Organizes Islam-West Unity Event
The Imagine 2018 campaign has only just begun – now that 100 winning essayists have been selected, 10 foremost directors will begin selecting 10 essays to turn into short films.
These films – the visions of Israeli and Palestinian youth brought to life – will be used to inspire people worldwide to envision some of the tangible benefits peace – to empower people to take action, and to ensure that the leadership acts with urgency and commitment to reach a two state agreement which ends the occupation and all forms of violence, and establishes a viable, independent Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with the state of Israel.
How you can get involved:
Donate – Sign up to the Movement – Forward our videos – Visit our blog & tell us what you think
The OneVoice Teams in Ramallah, Gaza, Tel Aviv, London, and New York
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Khaled Diab wrote a nice article about OneVoice‘s Imagine 2018 project, asking Palestinian and Israeli kids to visualize what their lives will look like in 10 years IF a peace agreement is achieved between Israel and Palestine.
I heard Ron Pundak (the CEO of the Peres Center) most recently attended a meeting of a coalition of NGOs working for peace, and he was struggling because he is fighting a particularly noxious type of cancer, currently going through treatment.
I have always secretly and quietly admired Ron, and have always felt we need more people like him. In a world filled with well-meaning mediocrity down to cynical manipulation, Ron never succumbs and always applies the highest standards to what he does. We seldom speak about people we admire with the candor they deserve, unless they are no longer with us, which means we lose the opportunity to do the right thing at the right time. Hoping that Ron will get stronger as we need him to continue to lead, I want to share why I so deeply am impressed with this man:
Just like on the Palestinian side the call for "resistance" has been strengthening, Israeli views towards negotiations with Palestinians are hardening, according to the latest War and Peace Index conducted by Professor Tamar Hermann. We’ve got our work cut out for us.