Daniel Lubetzky

Here is an interesting article from Yonathan Touval regarding Annapolis, juxtaposed to all the sobering reports about the parties’ inability to agree on the guidelines for the forthcoming meeting…

_{Last update – 02:31 16/11/2007}

Crafting the invitation to Annapolis

_{By Yonatan Touval}

Ha’aretz Newspaper

As the date for the Annapolis summit nears and doubts increase over the ability of Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a joint document outlining how they intend to resolve the core issues of the conflict, the time has come for the United States to step in and draft a letter of invitation.
Such a letter could be particularly useful if it were modeled on the invitation to the Madrid peace conference of 1991. A carefully crafted piece of diplomatic acumen, that document was the product of intensive shuttle diplomacy by then U.S. secretary of state James Baker, who understood that in order to ensure the success of the conference, he needed to articulate its terms of reference in advance, in the invitation itself.
The invitation to Annapolis need not "reinvent the wheel" of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations; in fact, it must not. The general parameters for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have been known since U.S. president Bill Clinton put them on the table in December of 2000. Since that time, the Taba talks, and even more precisely the unofficial Geneva Initiative, have filled in the missing details of what a permanent agreement would look like.
Since he came into office, U.S. President George W. Bush has opted to chart his own vision of Israeli-Palestinian peace. His statements have been few and far between, but they do amount to something. In fact, after almost seven years in office, Bush has said enough that can be used to draft a constructive statement outlining Washington’s position on the shape of an eventual Israeli-Palestinian agreement with specific references to the three core issues of territory, Jerusalem and refugees.
Thus, on the issue of territory, Bush may draw from his letter of April 14, 2004 to then prime minister Ariel Sharon: "As part of a final peace settlement, Israel must have secure and recognized borders, which should emerge from negotiations between the parties in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338. In light of new realities on the ground, including already existing major Israeli population centers, it is unrealistic to expect that the outcome of final status negotiations will be a full and complete return to the armistice lines of 1949."
This in itself, of course, would not be enough for the Palestinians, but Bush could add some language from a statement he made at a press briefing with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas at the White House on May 26, 2005: "A viable two-state solution must ensure contiguity of the West Bank, and a [Palestinian] state of scattered territories will not work. There must also be meaningful linkages between the West Bank and Gaza, [and any] changes to the 1949 armistice lines must be mutually agreed to."
Bush has been mostly silent on the issue of Jerusalem, but judging by his statements on territory, the American president should be able to say the following: The principles underlying the agreement on the final borders between Israel and Palestine should enable both parties to have their mutually recognized capitals in the area of Jerusalem. Given the complexity of the issue, however, including the need to maintain security in this universally historic and religious city, the U.S. believes that the parties must both feel comfortable with the precise delineation of the solution.
On the problem of the Palestinian refugees, Bush has refrained from outlining the contours of a possible solution. In contrast to Clinton, who listed five potential venues as "final homes" for the refugees, the current president has only stated that refugees should not be allowed to return to Israel. As he styled it in his letter to Sharon: "It seems clear that an agreed, just, fair and realistic framework for a solution to the Palestinian refugee issue as part of any final status agreement will need to be found through the establishment of a Palestinian state, and the settling of Palestinian refugees there, rather than in Israel."
Assuming this remains a fundamental principle pertaining to any solution of the refugee problem, Bush could at least articulate a more positive version of the same in the following way: Once established, the Palestinian state will be recognized by the Palestinians and by the world at large as the Palestinian homeland, and a key element in resolving the problem of the Palestinian refugees will be set in place.
These statements – on territory, Jerusalem and refugees – are modest, undoubtedly too modest for some. But inasmuch as they consist of exact reproductions – or variations – of language that Bush has employed in public statements over the past seven years, they are available to be used without delay.
It is important to remember that if Madrid succeeded in launching a decade-long peace process between Israel and its Arab neighbors, it was not by dint of any diplomatic breakthrough that took place during the three-day conference. Rather, it was thanks to the letter of invitation that bound the participants to a common agenda. It is precisely such a joint Israeli-Palestinian-American commitment to that sort of agenda that is missing right now. By issuing a letter of invitation a la Madrid, Bush would thus not only save Annapolis from near-certain failure, he would actively embed these principles in American policy. If Israel and the Palestinians are about to launch formal negotiations on a final status agreement, the articulation of a clear American policy could go a long way in steering the course in the months to come.
Yonatan Touval is a policy analyst with the Economic Cooperation

Foundation (ECF), a Tel Aviv-based think tank

What are some of the lessons from the painful postponement of the OneVoice Summit?

· to stand strong on our principles, and not let anyone define who we are;

· to anticipate threats and challenges and plan better to prevent anyone from derailing non-violent actions that are consistent with the Will of the People;

· to brief all constituents directly, even those who may be suspicious of or threatened by OneVoice, to clarify the sincerity of purpose and nobility of the goals of the Movement;

· to not be swallowed by hatred or contempt, and to not attack anyone as an individual, but rather to point out that the ideology of absolutism must be overcome;

· to be exceptionally clear and transparent about all we say and do;

· to work more strategically

· to avoid centralization of authority;

· to empower youth leaders;

· to strengthen alliances and emphasize partnerships;

· to demand the highest standards of transparency and professionalism from all of us;

· to never lose sight of why we are doing what we are doing.

"If you stand up and be counted, from time to time you may get yourself knocked down. But remember this: A man flattened by an opponent can get up again. A man flattened by conformity stays down for good."

— Thomas J. Watson, Jr.

You may not see this on TV, but something huge happened in Gaza over the last couple days. 

Hundreds of thousands of people rallied across the center of Gaza City to commemorate Yasser Arafat’s passing.

AFP/via BBC

The rally was organized by the "National Committee", a group of Palestinian civic leaders, primarily from Fatah but also spreading across other parties and unaffiliated Palestinian luminaries tasked with representing the people.

The few media reports that I’ve seen on this are reporting that 5/7/10 people were killed and many others wounded as the Hamas-led police force opened fire at the crowds that were condemning their coup d’etat.

But the bigger story is that this is the biggest demonstration since Hamas took over Gaza by force, and arguably the biggest demonstration in Gaza ever.

THE PEOPLE ON THE GROUND were shouting "Shiia, Shiaa" against the Hamas forces, openly associating them as peons of the Iranian government.

For days, Hamas had been trying to prevent this mobilization from happening, going to the lengths of blocking out all the bus companies so they could not be rented by organizers to bring in people from the outskirts.

But people drove in their cars, and walked long distances, to make their voices heard.

Checkpoints across Gaza set up by Hamas forces were not able to stop this mobilization.

We had a setback last month when we had to postpone the OneVoice Summit in Jericho intended to send a message of support to President Abbas.

But this time the people of Gaza, hundreds of thousands of them, risked their lives to vote with their feet against militant extremism.

Here are a couple of stories that provide more context on this important development:

AFP: Hamas Kills Six at Arafat Rally in Gaza

IHT: Former Gaza strongman Dahlan says Hamas breakup of rally sign of group’s growing difficulties

AP via BBC

We often think about the immediate issues of the conflict – justice, security, walls, barriers, rockets, military threats, checkpoints, land, dignity, etc. – as the drivers that provide but the challenges and the opportunities for what needs to be addressed in order to end the conflict and build a better future for Israelis and Palestinians.

But increasingly the status quo is harming the essence of Palestinian and Israeli societies at the very core – in areas like education.

Data over the last few years points to a deafening brain drain from Palestine and Israel.  Can you blame talented individuals who decide to escape the chaos?

Educated Palestinians more and more are moving to Jordan, to the United States, to Egypt, to the point that writers have started to call the "Palestinian National Dream" in jeopardy.

And educated Israelis more and more are moving to the US and Europe at alarming rates.

I just read a Wall Street Journal excerpt from a BusinessWeek article by Neal Sandler highlighting how serious the danger and impact is on the Israeli educational system:

Israeli students ranked 33rd out of 41 countries in a global survey on math and sciences in 2002, the last time they participated therein, contrasting to the 1960s when Israeli students were among the world’s best;

Only 30% of 18-year old native-born conscripts into the Israeli Defense Forces passed a standard Hebrew reading comprehension test in 2005, down from 60% two decades earlier

Israeli teacher salaries are the LOWEST in the industrialized world, acording to the OECD

So for people that are clinging to a Greater Israel or Greater Palestine vision, it is time to understand: your children’s future is at stake.  This region, with so much potential to bring light to the world, is going to implode and become a sad example of what hatred and absolutism reaps, if we don’t get our act together.

Anyone who has not taken the first step of signing on to the OneVoice Mandate demanding IMMEDIATE UNINTERRUPTED NEGOTIATIONS TILL AN AGREEMENT IS REACHED AMONG THE ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN HEADS OF STATE should do so now.

A few friends wrote to me alarmed and saddened by the poem I wrote, Haunted.  They mentioned I am always ‘so positive’ and encouraged me not to lose hope.  Some encouraged me to share positive thoughts as they tend to see me do, rather than to succumb to the plentiful doom.

So I thought I’d share a few related thoughts:

1) no, I am not in a state of deep depression, or suicidal, and I am not about to give up on our mission;

2) I am a human being like everyone else, who has worries and doubts and fears, and I have always had these; indeed, this is what drives me to try to prevent such dark vision from prevailing;

3) when I made the commitment to write this blog, I decided I needed to be true to myself and those who read this journal, so it will continue to reflect the reality of my feelings at the moment when I use the journal to share them, and my best efforts to provide an accurate reflection of what I see happening around me;

4) I am sobered up and increasingly worried that time is running out, that partisan hatred is so deep, that all the best efforts of OneVoice, and PeaceWorks, and the hundreds of groups working in this space will not be enough if we don’t achieve the critical mass necessary, which requires ordinary citizens to recognize their power and responsibility to join this effort;

5) the challenge requires MORE, not less dedication to it; and so OneVoice is already working on several fronts to strengthen its efforts, as is the PeaceWorks Foundation;

6) I wrote "Haunted" late at night after watching the very poignant and powerful but sad movie The Black Book, which brought back memories of what my Father went through during the Holocaust, and marrying that with the growing animosity overtaking the Middle East, and the increasing sadness I personally feel at seeing so much hatred, so much suffering, so much anger, so much partisanship and dehumanization.

7) The silver lining is that a lot of this anger and hatred is also a sign of the winds of change.  Groups opposing a two state solution are mobilizing with passion because they also see the writing on the wall; my only hope is that they won’t see a two-state-solution as their defeat, but their opportunity – not an opportunity for total justice as they may envision it, as total justice is by definition unattainable when seeking a political agreement and historical compromise among two parties, but an opportunity for them to help build a better future for their children and for the children of the region.

The window of opportunity for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a two-state agreement is closing, and with that the hope for building hope and prosperity for the overwhelming majorities on both sides that cherish that.

9) The prospect of this region becoming an eternal battleground is truly scary.

10) This conflict is not intractable today.  I hope we will seize the opportunity before it gets too late.

11) Change is not going to come about without action from the ordinary citizens on both sides whose lives are most affected.

Here are some really cool pics. brought to my attention by David "Dudu" Vakni, who has an awesome site on creative marketing…

In case it is not clear, these are pictures or ads overimposed on the outside of the truck, but created in such a way so as to seem like in real life they are showing you teh contents inside the truck…

"Never doubt that the work of a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.  Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has."

- Margaret Mead

{I requested and got permission to share excerpts of this letter on my blog}

Dear Daniel,

It is my great pleasure to write to you and reach out to you on a cause that we both stand for and work for: Peace in the Middle East and in the World. A cause that is worthy of devoting ones life to. I was introduced to your team in a conference held by University of California Irvine, through the Center for Citizen Peace Building. I can not begin to tell you how touched and moved I was by the courage of the young students from both Palestinian and Israeli side. It was truly inspiring to see something so extraordinary and so pure.

I’d like to give you a brief overview of the journey that led me to that conference and why our paths have crossed. I’m an Iranian American who survived the Iran Iraq war and never really unveiled it until recently. I have been in the rubble, I have seen people killed and youth as young as 12 years old dragged to the army to fight in the name of religion and let me tell you I did not believe in Peace. As a matter of fact, it would really upset me to see people preach it, I felt like they have no idea what it’s like to have bombs come down on them, and they have no idea that it is the last thing on one’s mind when running for shelter.

So you may ask yourself "what happened, and why a person of my background started working towards causing peace?" Well, I realized that being tired, resigned or apathetic is the source of it. I realized that it is not just about me the Iranian American kid, it’s about that Palestinian kid, that Israeli kid, that American, African, Sudanese… kid it’s about all of us. I realized that our biggest pitfall is that we have forgotten that before we’re Iranian, American, Israeli, Palestinian, we are human beings. Simple really simple yet so powerful that we have missed it and had wars get the better of us.

Please know that I’m not reaching out to you as an Iranian American, Muslim, Jew, republican, democrat, Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Shiite, Sonni, catholic, protestant, but I’m reaching out to you as all of the above a fellow human being.

…

…

You know Daniel, although I don’t know you or seen you, I know that it’s people like you and me and those who truly believe if there is a will, there is a way are the ones who take actions for the better good of human kind and inspire others to make it happen with them! People ask me, "you are not even Israeli or Palestinian so why do you care so much?", and I tell them I’m a human being and it is my human duty to care.

…

Although I run two businesses and run a humanitarian organization, I will drop everything for this cause and for a chance to make an impact, so please know that whenever you or anyone from your team calls they are welcome.

Your kindred Spirit,

Sunny Zia

‘’I was a military man for 27 years. I waged war as long as there was no chance for peace…I believe there is now a chance for peace, a great chance, and we must take advantage of it for those standing here, and for those who are not here – and they are many. I have always believed that the majority of the people want peace and are ready to take a chance for peace."

Yitzhak Rabin Speech at a Tel Aviv peace rally, hours before he was shot, November 4, 1995