Give peace a chance by providing it with momentum

Daily Star Editorial date: 2006-11-30

BEIRUT - It was not as detailed or as generous as most Palestinians would have preferred, but Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's rhetorical overture on Monday was certainly more than many observers had been expecting. Merely by ending his refusal to openly consider the massive prisoner swap that has been discussed behind closed doors for months, for instance, Olmert gave the impression of having adopted a more realistic view of his government's relationship with the people on whose land his country was established. Although the real test of Israeli intentions will come when the two sides sit down to negotiate, every effort should be made to avoid and/or prevent actions that might delay that test.

The Palestinian Authority has undertaken to do its part by using its security forces to keep militants from firing rockets into the Jewish state from the Gaza Strip. This is a vital step because regardless of who is to blame for the current state of affairs, Palestinian leaders need very much to regain the confidence and trust of both Israel and the international community. The same is true for the Jewish state, which could take a big step in this direction by, for example, offering to extend the Gaza ceasefire to the West Bank as well, and/or turning over Palestinian customs levies it has been withholding. If the current stage is to become more than a brief lull between rounds of bloodshed, it will need sufficient momentum to get through the inevitable rough patches. The principals -- Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas -- can say all the right things, but words will count for nothing unless each helps the other convince his own people that this time will be different.

This is particularly important for Abbas because he and his Fatah movement have recently been locked in a power struggle with Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh's Hamas group. Only by doing all they can to enforce the Gaza ceasefire can Abbas and Haniyeh demonstrate to all and sundry that their dispute is in actuality a healthy, democratic one -- and that Palestine speaks with one voice when it comes to its international commitments. To do this, they also need to address stubborn domestic problems like corruption and unemployment so that the Palestinian street sees both sides of the political divide working toward common, national goals.

Surveys show consistently that solid majorities of both Israelis and Palestinians want peace. Their visions of an agreement are very different, but that is less important than their shared desire to stop inflicting pain on one another. It is up to their leaders to start honouring the wishes of their respective peoples by being as resolute in a hopeful search for compromise as the warmongers have been in the disastrous and futile hunt for a military solution.

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This article is distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) and can be accessed at www.commongroundnews.org.

Source: The Daily Star, 28 November 2006, www.dailystar.com.lb
Copyright permission has been obtained for publication.