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Friday, June 20, 2003 American babysitters

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell was meeting this morning with Israeli leaders after a meeting last night between Israeli and Palestinian security officials that was moderated by the chief U.S. monitor of the roadmap implementation, John Wolf, who is still in learning mode but used his authority as the U.S. envoy to bring Palestinian Security Minister Mohammad Dahlan and IDF Maj. Gen. Amos Gilboa, government coordinator in the territories, to the meeting.

In their press conference together, Sharon said it wasn't his affair if Hamas decides to become a politicial party -- as long as it gives up using violence. Powell said Israel and the Palestinians are the good guys, and Hamas and Syria are bad guys -- but he also seemed to be saying without saying (as diplomats do), that if the Hamas gives up violence -- for real -- it has a place on the stage.

Publicly, Israel continues to insist the Palestinian government finally start moving against terrorism, but privately, say reports, the real negotiations are underway for the hudna, with the Palestinians talking about a six-month period of cease-fire and the Israelis saying three weeks of cease-fire and then the PA round up illegal weapons. Shin Bet Chief Avi Dichter was in Washington this week, telling officials that Dahlan has close to 20,000 men under arms, and the entire Hamas armed wing consists of between 1,000-3,000 men—so the argument that the PA doesn't have the strength to move against Hamas doesn't hold water.

The much-anticipated U.S.-dictated army moves against an inhabited outpost at one of the most radical of Israeli settlements, Yitzhar, took place yesterday with much fanfare and scuffling between settlers and police and soldiers, some vandalism of Palestinian property, and colorful human interest stories like the one about a soldier born in a settlement, finding his brother on the hilltop trying to prevent the evacuation. More than one commentator on the events at Yitzhar said Sharon timed it for Powell's arrival, to show how difficult it will be to remove settlements down the line. The army left soldiers on the hilltop to prevent settlers from returning, but elsewhere, including in Hebron's Tel Romeida, a hotbed of Kach-style Jewish radicalism, new outposts -- meaning tents -- went up. Nonetheless, there is a growing consensus in the press that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has given a divorce to the settlers to whom he was politically married for the last 25 years.

Meanwhile, Shimon Peres was elected temporary chairman of the Labor Party last night and today, Jerusalem saw its first gay pride parade with an ultra-Orthodox mayor in office. And as of Friday afternoon there were 4,326 signatures on a petition to save Voice of Music,, an Israeli readio station that carries both Brahms and Um Kultum, new compositions by composers and poetry from the 15th century, and the latest in both cerebral jazz and world music. It's not a very popular station in terms of ratings -- it is a powerful instrument for culture amng its fans. Closing such a radio station, which costs less than $1 million a year, and spending at least $1 million -- in soldier time, let alone the 'Yesha' council's use of state-granted money to hire buses for the event -- on one day of 'removiong an outpost' is just another syumptom of the corrupting influence of the occupation -- priorities so bad, they go past stupidity, to evil.

June 13, 2003

He asked, when was the last time you traveled?
This was my answer.
Daily.
From bed to study
from apartment to cafe,
from cafe to office,
from office to cafe
from cafe to home.
Sometimes to the sea. Often up hills.
The entire globe is in the village of my bicycle's reach.
(R.R.)

June 7, 2003 If the Arabs want to convince Israeli public opinion to go into the streets and beat back, if necessary, the zealots (who shall not be allowed for a second time after 2,000 years to ruin relations with the world), they would not only beat back their own zealots but say bluntly, honestly and sincerely to the Jews - who yes, frankly, are stronger - 'tfadal, a'lan usa'alan, usalam aleikhem,' and yes, with recognition of the provisional borders of the Palestinian state, according to the roadmap that has to happen before the end of 2004, Israelis will get embassies in every Arab-Islamic country, and down the line, an-EU style passport for the entire Semitic world, from the Atlantic to the pacific.

The Jews could then think they changed the world, and tell the Christians to relax, so the Muslims could tell each other, relax, and the Buddhists will be able to say 'we were right' for not caring, and, finally, as if the messiah had arrived, we'd all be able to get on with our lives.

But taking my mind off Peace politics (see below for my prognostication for the roadmap, written pre-Aqaba summit) I've had the Pleasure of adding some new poetry to Ariga: From the upper Galilee, poet Tom Berman, newly appointed editor of the Voices Israel group, is back at Ariga; From Maine, the talented 12-year-old Kim Beaulieu, new at Ariga but sure to be back, tells those of us older what it's like nowadays, and it ain't easy. And Ariga welcomes poetry from Karen Mandell, who looks at things to write about ideas and feelings.

AND

New Frosties: classy quotes collected by I. Frost, including: Al Bundy, the politically incorrect husband; Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, the Baghdad comedian; Joseph Conrad, the spooky novelist; Noel Coward, the bon vivant playwright; Antonio Gramsci, the talian phliosopher with attitude; Michael Jordan, the ball player; Margaret Thatcher, the ex-prime minister; Florence Nightingale, the nurse; and Xenophon, the Greek philosopher with attitude.

And if Peace politics is nonetheless your thing, here are two new articles at PeaceWatch, one by a Syrian describing an experience with anti-Semitism, the other by an Israeli about what the peace camp should do.

June 1, 2003 Thirty-six years after the Six Day War By Robert Rosenberg

Thirty-six years after the Six Day War, the world community, led by America, has decided to impose a peace on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is obvious that at a major part of the solution to the problem of terrorism in the name of Islam requires ending the 1967 Six Day War, with the the withdrawal of Israeli control over the West Bank, which Jews have referred to for thousands of years as Judea and Samaria, and over the Gaza Strip, which is the original homeland of the people from whom the Romans originally derived the term Palestinian.

According to the 8-page Elements of a performance-based road map to a permanent two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict prepared by the international community in the form of the Quartet -- the U.S., UN, EU and Russia -- this process is suposed to be done, more or less, by the end of 2005.

It is too soon for optmism, but the Middle East is a very different place now that Iraq's Ba'ath regime is gone. There has not been such an opportunity for everyone to do the right thing in decades, perhaps more than a century.

There is an evolving democracy in Palestinian society, which is now going through an extraordinary experiment for the Arab world, in which the regime is moving from rule by one person, to a society governed with one law, one armed force and many political views. The

On the Israeli side, the messianic rhetoric of the mystic-nationalist right has lost its charm for the majority of Israeli Jews, who have traveled the world and no longer feel the need to fear or despise the goyim. Those who have long believed the occupation is not only bad for the Palestinians but for Israelis, take heart from Ariel Sharon's statement, 'you may not like the word ... but the occupation is bad for Israel, bad for the Palestinians, and bad for the Israeli economy' just as we take heart from Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas' declaration that his mission is to establish a Palestinian state based on "one rule of law, one armed group, many political views.'

The important word in the road map is 'performance' -- which asks whether both sides can deliver? The majorities, on both sides, say the public opinion polls, are ripe for a deal. The leaders know that -- yet they have to do what they can to avoid civil war, which threatens both societies if those tough decisions are made.

The Palestinians in the territories will at best be able to offer their refugee brethren around the world to go to a new home, in the state of Palestine, rather than back to homes that no longer exist inside the state of Israel. The Muslims will get to visit the Haram al Sharif, the Islamic Plaza built on top of the Jews' ancient temples, if there is peace, so the factions amongst them opposed to a peace deal will be greatly marginalized.

On the Israeli-Jewish side, no less a rift will be created for about 100,000 to 150,000 people who will be told they must leave their homes. Most have only lived there since the early 1980s, after Ariel Sharon set in motion his grand "Settlement Enterprise", which was meant to block any deal with the Arabs (officially, Israel had still not recognized the Palestinian people then) that involved returning the territories. More than half the Jewish residents of the territories are children, the vast majority under the age of 18. A majority of the settlers are religious, many are extremely religious. Some will use arms, probably against Palestinians like suicide gunman Baruch Goldstein, but possibly against Jews, like Yigal Amir, to try to prevent progress in the process, just as some Palestinians will try.

So, do not expect high-flying rhetoric at this week's summits in Aqaba and Sharm el Sheikh. But hope, and if you are so inclined, pray, that George Bush can get across to the Jews and Muslimsthe essentially Christian message of goodwill as the first step to peacemaking; and meanwhile, while we are being told to believe that George Bush is serious when he says he means to see this through, we can be certain of one thing: it's about time someone stepped in and told the two kids fighting in the sandbox that he doesn't care who started it, it's time to grow up. (R.R.)

Previously -- May 2003

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