Terence Zimwara
Peace initiatives between Israel and Palestine will remain
dormant as long as anti peace camps continue to dominate politics in the region.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently pursued positions
that are opposed to peace yet he remains a very influential figure in Israel
politics.
He is on course to become the longest serving premier in
modern day Israel, surpassing even a figure like Ben Gurion! Netanyahu owes much
of this success to his fear mongering tactics and the general perception by
citizens that Israel is safer with him as its leader.
On the eve of that country’s last election, Netanyahu who
was trailing in opinion polls, stunned the world when he controversially claimed
that Israeli Arabs were going to polls in droves to vote him out. Scared
Israeli voters apparently took heed of Netanyahu’s racist warning by turning
out in numbers resulting in his party Likud party coming first in the election.
So Israel remains stuck with a leader who does not believe
in bringing peace or in solving problems through diplomatic means. Netanyahu
and his right wing government are not afraid of starting a large scale conflict
so Israel can maintain its military edge over regional rivals. It was widely
reported a few years ago, that Israel wanted to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities
to stop Tehran from joining the nuclear club but this was thwarted by the Obama
administration.
The situation is the same on the Palestinian side, the leaders
of major movements are unwilling to commit to peace. Indeed the recent
rapprochement between Fatah and Hamas is seen as a sign that the peace effort
might just be on the cards. However, Hamas remains dedicated to the destruction
of Israel and so are some of the organizations that sponsor it. When Hamas
believes its popularity is waning, it will start off a series of provocations
that often lead to war with Israel which often it is ill equipped to win.
Unfortunately, the war often results in thousands of
Palestinians causalities as well as destruction of property. The same Hamas
that played a part in starting the conflict will be seen offering assistance to
Palestinians devastated by the war. This ploy has helped to keep Hamas immersed
in the hearts of ordinary Palestinians thus it remains a key player in the
whole Middle East matrix.
On the other hand, Fatah has discussed peace with Israel
before and all that has come to naught. The two sides never seem to agree on
anything or are unwilling to abide by previous agreements. At the moment, Fatah
is also reluctant to go back to the negotiating table believing its diplomatic
offensive is enough to pressure Israel into giving up territories it seized.
Domestic and international backers of Israel and Palestine
have also failed to cajole them to a common position. Hardliners on both sides
always seem to carry the day. The situation is crying out for another leader
like Ariel Sharon to take real steps towards the peace effort once again.
The late Ariel Sharon, a former Israel Prime Minister, took
a bold decision in 2005 to unilaterally withdraw Israel from the Gaza strip
despite protests by both Palestinians and Israelis. Sharon’s decision was
informed by the fact that hardliners on both sides were impeding peace efforts
and that it was also in Israel’s security interests to leave Gaza. So as Sharon
told the world that he was a making unilateral decision to leave since he had
no peace partner on the Palestinian side, a revolt broke out in his own Likud party
as members voiced opposition to his proposed pullout.
In the end, Sharon left Likud to start a new party along
with a list of prominent politicians from different parties who supported his
vision. The new party, Kadima, easily won enough backers giving Sharon the
mandate to see through his plan. Unfortunately, Sharon went into a coma before
he could fully advance his agenda and that is how his vision suffered a
stillbirth. Be that as it may, the late Sharon will be remembered for his
peacemaking efforts.
Israelis voters were sold to Sharon’s idea and they trusted
his judgment, an election soon after his coma confirmed this, his party romped
to victory against traditional parties. World leaders who initially loathed
Sharon soon began to have a change of heart, for here was a man who’d finally
come to his senses and that he now saw peace as the only solution. Prior to
this, Sharon had a poor reputation with Arabs that stemmed primarily from his
role during a conflict between Israel and Lebanon. He was even nicknamed the ‘butcher
of Beirut’ and some Arab countries accused him of war crimes. Sharon understood
the stakes were high and that he was the only one who could move the process
forward.
Sadly, Kadima did not survive long after Sharon left the
scene. Successive wars with Hezbollah and Hamas complicated peace efforts while
scandals hit Sharon’s successor Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and eventually support
for Kadima waned. Since then no Israeli leader
has emerged with the same courage and drive as Sharon or even Yitzchak Rabin.
Shimon Peres and Tzipi Livni tried but they were never quite in the mold of
Sharon. Perhaps upcoming politicians like Meir Dagan will be the new crop of
leaders that will stand up to Prime Minister Netanyahu and move Israel away
from right wing extremists that control the government.
Time is running out for Israel to protect itself as the
changing demographics in Palestinian territories throw into question Israel’s
very future as a Jewish state. Instead Israel risks becoming a new apartheid
state if it does not make peace with Palestinians.Current leaders want this
debate to be postponed forever but they can never change this inevitability.
Terence Zimwara is a writer and commentator. Contact him on
0771799901 or tem2ra@gmail.com
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