Horizons of Peace

by Mamdouh Nawfal

After three years of frustration and despair, the Geneva and the

Nusseibeh-Ayalon initiatives revived the peacemaking idea between

Palestinians and Israelis. Both initiatives have proven that there is, on

the Palestinian side, a partner for real peacemaking and that Sharon is

ignoring this fact in order to undermine the peace process.

Both initiatives awakened the peace camp. In fact, the Geneva initiative

presented detailed formulas that tackle the issues of Jerusalem, refugees,

borders, settlements, security and future relations that the official

negotiators and the U.S. failed to settle. Peace partisans reappeared on

the political scene. They used both initiatives as evidence that the peace

efforts were not useless.

Although both initiatives are two similar models to settle the conflict,

they caused a political storm in the Palestinian society and received only

a lukewarm welcome at both the regional and international levels. Some

people considered it to be the door to the Roadmap which seeks settle the

conflict and establish a Palestinian state.

The polls show that both initiatives are supported by significant numbers

in the Palestinian society. True, the partisans of these initiatives are

still a minority; however, they are an efficient one, which came to the

following conclusion: the Palestinian-Israeli conflict cannot be settled

with violence and there will be no security and stability in the region

without a solution the Palestinians accept.

In parallel, both documents are strongly opposed in both the Palestinian

and Israeli societies. Accused of essential concessions, neither document

is seen as the correct method for settling the causes of the conflict, thus

Israelis and Palestinians have decided to move against them with

undermining them as a top priority.

No one can pretend that both initiatives are perfect and guarantee all

Palestinian rights; however, Palestinian interests impose dealing with

their rights as being key to the national cause. I think that the

deficiencies of both initiatives should not prevent us from seeing the many

positive aspects; such as restoring the consideration of peace forces and

the peace plans, providing a real project towards peace, and as a method to

break the sharp Israeli pole which is based on occupying the Palestinian

people.

I think that the success of the partisans of both initiatives in preserving

efforts at making peace and overcoming the difficulties of Sharon's era

means gathering the required elements and starting serious action according

to a plan that seeks to prevent the enemies of peace from burying both

initiatives and to work on establishing popular frameworks.

If the peace partisans in Palestine succeeded in reaching a conciliatory

formula, it is the people's right to call for their unification in order to

form the Palestinian peace forces coalition.

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Mr. Nawfal is a Palestinian writer from Ramallah.

Source: Al-Hayat, April 12, 2004

Visit the Al-Hayat website at http://english.daralhayat.com/

Distributed by the Common Ground News Service.

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