PEACEWatch

  Vol. 1 #25 Dec. 29, 1998

Ding Dong, the Wicked Witch is Dead
David Albert

This famous song from the Wizard of Oz pretty much sums up my attitude to the fall of Bibi Netanyahu's government. This government has been an absolutely unmitigated disaster for Israel, the Palestinians, and the peace process.

Most Israelis truly do seek peace and reconciliation with the Palestinians. The upcoming election may be the last chance for them to reclaim their government from the extremists, who will have dominated it for nearly three years when the elections are held next spring. Bibi has failed to bring peace, failed to maintain the strong economy that he inherited from Labor, failed to end the polarization between religious and secular Jews. Perhaps most importantly, he has failed to offer honest political leadership to the Israeli people during this critical period.

Some blame both the Israeli and the Palestinian leadership for the stalled peace process. This is utter nonsense. The Palestinian Authority has played a secondary role, since Israel is by far the stronger party. This is not a negotiation between equals, but one between the occupied and the occupier. Thus, the dominant party bears responsibility for the current crisis. The Palestinian Authority is not a sovereign entity and has few chips with which to bargain in the name the Palestinian people. Israel and the United States are ultimately the primary decision-makers.

When Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres were serious about peace, the process moved forward. When Netanyahu opposed it, the process foundered. Netanyahu's approach has been to make unreasonable demands and then blame the Palestinians for not accepting those demands. In that way, he makes it appear as if the other side is being unreasonable, when it is really his own doing. Bibi has destroyed, or at least attempted to destroy, the peace process. We must hope that this election brings us a Prime Minister who truly supports "Land for Peace" and ultimately, a two-state solution.

A two-state solution is the only realistic road to peace. What has Bibi done to achieve this goal? Let us consider his actions over the last few years. Even before he was elected, who was it that allowed extremists to incite violence at his rallies preceding he Rabin assassination? Who opened the tunnel resulting in widespread rioting and numerous deaths? Who ordered the construction of Har Homa in disputed East Jerusalem? Who has expanded the construction of settlements? Who has accelerated the confiscation of Jerusalem residency cards of Palestinians? Who has sped up the construction of bypass roads on confiscated land? Who has continually increased his demands beyond anything listed in the Oslo or Wye Agreements? Who has refused to stop unilateral acts of incitement while demanding the Palestinians do just that? Who refused to accept the1996 Palestinian effort to revoke their Covenant that had been accepted by the previous government? Who ordered the assassination of Haled Mashal in Jordan, nearly ruining Israel's good relationship with King Hussein? Who has refused to implement the Wye Agreement that he negotiated and signed, because he wanted to make politically-motivated demands that he couldn't win at the negotiating table? We all know who.

Bibi Netanyahu has betrayed the peace process and shredded the Wye Accord that he signed with such hoopla just two months ago. He clearly has no serious interest in pursuing a real "Land for Peace" or even a "Land for Security" deal. Bibi does have a political interest in trying to look like he is pursuing peace, so as to win over Israeli moderates. He knows, however, that if he actually follows through on Wye, he will lose his extremist base. His actions speak louder than his words. Bibi signed Wye and spoke of peaceful cooperation for the benefit of moderates and President Clinton. Then he turned around and froze the agreement for the benefit of his right-wing base. His coalition of moderates who sought a secure peace and right-wing extremists who opposed Oslo and territorial compromise, was completely untenable from the beginning. He won election in 1996 on a slogan of "peace with security." He has delivered neither, and he lacks the credibility and trust necessary for a majority of Israelis to return him to office. Indeed, his own party may well decide that he should not be their standard bearer in the election.

Netanyahu opposed the principle of "Land for Peace" and the Oslo Accords from the beginning. He has spent his entire administration trying to obstruct it and delay its implementation. The result is that in two and a half years, he has withdrawn from half of the city of Hebron, after renegotiating and delaying for 6 months, and a mere 2% of the West Bank. Bibi's version of the "peace process" is a sham and always has been.

It is too early to tell which candidate those that seek peace and reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians should support. I am deeply disturbed by the tendency of Israelis to support military leaders like Ehud Barak or Amnon Lipkin-Shahak who have little experience and few clear positions. Israelis are so deeply frustrated that they will turn to anyone who appears to be an outsider offering a new and presumably better way of doing things.

Neither Barak or Lipkin-Shahak really has the political experience that a Prime Minister should have. Bibi showed us what can happen when an inexperienced individual becomes Prime Minister! I would prefer an experienced political/diplomatic hand like Shimon Peres or Yossi Beilin, but neither of them is a possibility right now. Nevertheless, it is absolutely clear that either Barak or Lipkin-Shahak would be a vast improvement over Bibi. Either one would likely come to power with the support of a far more moderate pro-peace coalition.

The call for a new election has given me renewed hope. The last two years have been extremely depressing and frustrating for those of us who truly care about seeing a fair Israeli-Palestinian peace established. I knew when Bibi was elected that he would make it nearly impossible to achieve peace. I couldn't have imagined how badly he would fail us. Not only has Bibi shattered the peace, he has shattered the hope of many Jews and many Palestinians that peace is possible and can be achieved in their lifetimes. This election is our last chance to save the peace process. If Bibi or someone like him comes back, Israel and Palestine will miss the historic opportunity opened by the Oslo process. I hope that everyone who cares about peace will work to oust Bibi Netanyahu from power.

David Albert

Austin, Texas

David Albert is a doctoral candidate in Government at University of Texas-Austin and a co-moderator of the Salaam-v-Shalom discussion list. His email is dalbert@mail.la.utexas.edu

PEACE Comments/Join: