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Vol. 1 #31 March 8, 1999 |
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| Something Happened!
Something happened in Israeli politics last night. It was an event of great importance. The problem is that nobody knows what it means. The facts are clear enough. David Levy and his Gesher (bridge) party joined forces with Labor in the new ‘Yisrael Echad’ (one Israel) list. Levy was a long-time standard bearer of the Moroccan constituency of the Likud party. On the surface, it was an event almost as improbable and momentous as the handshake between Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat. The new coalition could be very good indeed. In the immediate future, Levy brings charisma, style and color to a rather uninspiring Labor campaign. In the long term, it could attract a solid base of ex-Likud voters and signify the end of Likud dominance of Israeli politics for most of the past 22 years, and the end of the great paradoxical rift between the labor movement and the disenfranchised and disadvantaged sectors of the Sephardi Jewish population. If David Levy can carry his constituency with him, if he remains a part of the new coalition, and if the coalition holds together, it could be a new beginning for Israeli society. Many ifs... The ‘historic event’ could mean very little. Levy may not be able to bring his constituency with him. Several defectors of unknown and disputed importance have already joined the Likud and were shown off by Bibi Netanyahu like prizes in a triumphal parade. Levy’s main motivation may be to beat PM Netanyahu, who wounded his fragile ego, as he wounded so many others. After the elections, Levy and Labor may have a falling out. The Labor/Gesher coalition could also mean the end of the Israeli left entirely, depending on what Levi and his fellow Gesher members bring to the new coalition. David Levi sat in many Likud governments. Governments that supported Greater Israel, privatization of industry and a systematic program of destroying the Israeli collective movement. On the other hand, Levi went to the wire against Bibi over social issues and over the stalled peace process, and quit the government - and the Likud - when he lost. One thing is certain. Ehud Barak has done what many labor politicians with much greater experience must have dreamed of doing for many years. By bringing Levy to a Labor-led coalition, he has demonstrated that beneath his bumbling and unimaginative exterior there may be a daring master politician. In 1996, Labor learned to its sorrow the danger of underestimating its opponent. Perhaps Bibi Netanyahu will learn the same lesson this Spring. Jordan - Just GO There is not a lot of peace, but there is still a bit of it in the Middle East. One of the advantages of peace is that Israelis can visit Jordan and Egypt. Having just returned from Jordan, I can tell you that it is one of our best kept tourist secrets. Just over the border there is a whole different and beautiful world awaiting Israelis - the magnificent ruins of Jerash, the view of the ‘promised land from Mt. Nebo, the amphitheater in Amman and more. What a pity that the plane to Amman was practically empty, and that the tourist agencies do not know that there is a bus that leaves for Amman each day from the central bus station, for a mere $20.00, (2:30 PM fourth floor, contact Darstel/Trust in Amman - 962-6-5813427/8), or that Israelis no longer need to arrange a visa in advance. Perhaps we are ashamed of the peace for some reason. Israelis owe it to themselves to visit Jordan - I’ll bet you cannot go just once! We should hope too that travel for Jordanians will be just as easy. Ameen Hannoun wrote about the problem of getting a visa from Jordan in a previous PeaceWatch. When I was in Amman, I met a fellow (PEACE participant and contributor who will remain anonymous) who had been refused a visa for no reason anyone can understand. There is no appeal and no way to find out what the reason is. According to the government, Ariel Sharon has been given the special task of facilitating cooperation and economic relations with Jordan. Write to him and others and ask to please help us cement the peace. Some e-mail addresses: Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon: sar@mofa.gov.il Ministry of the Interior: sar@moin.gov.il Lebanon - It Will Not Go Away The war in Lebanon will not go away. It is a continued source of tragedy for Israeli and Lebanese families, of embarrassment for policy makers and of demoralization for Israel. Last weekend there were more deaths - and more statements about the gravity of the situation, and more inaction. The need to ‘do something’ precipitated a massive bombardment of Baalbek that did little harm to the Hizbullah and certainly did not endear us to our Arab neighbors. It was, in effect, an added propaganda bonus for the Hizbullah. The situation described in PeaceWatch #22 "Tar Baby" is repeating itself - more committees, more appearance of action, more deaths. Like Brer Rabbit in the US folk tale, Israel is caught in the Hisbullah/Lebanese tar baby prepared for us by a clever Brer Fox. Any attempt to extricate our ourselves, or to hit back at the tar baby, just gets us more attached to it, as shown in our cartoon by Latuff. Last week Prime Minister Netanyahu cancelled a scheduled appearance before the Knesset Foreign Policy and Security subcommittee. It is just as well that the meeting was cancelled, because there is no policy to discuss. Let’s be honest. This war is not about the Galilee or South Lebanon. Withdrawal from Lebanon will not solve the problem, because the war is about the Golan heights. Withdrawal from Lebanon will bring the war to Israel’s borders. The war will escalate, and Israel will risk the possibility of a war with Syria. Let’s be honest. There are no angels on either side of the fence in Lebanon. The current Lebanese government is a puppet of the Syrians. The Syrians are willing to fight for the Golan heights to the last Lebanese. When Israel has withdrawn from Golan and from Lebanon, there is little doubt that the Syrian army will remain to provide ‘protection.’ Perhaps they must remain, if only to prevent the Hizbullah from attacking Israel, just as today they are at the root of the attacks. Let’s be honest, Israel will not solve any problems by staying in Lebanon. Every day that we stay risks more death for our soldiers, more deaths for Lebanese civilians, more ‘victories’ for the Hizbullah. It might conceivably be justified if we were making progress toward some goal. But everyone admits that we are not. We are just getting more and more stuck to the Lebanese tar baby. In a better world there would be at least as many voices raised against the Syrian occupation of Lebanon as there are against the Israeli presence there. In a better world, Syria would not use South Lebanon as the battleground for the Golan heights, and perhaps they would not need to. But we must do what is best for us in the imperfect version of the world that we have. Staying in Lebanon is not bringing much protection to the Galilee. It will not result in peace, rather it is making peace more difficult. The situation will not get better with time, but worse, as the Hizbullah become better trained and our soldiers become more and more demoralized. There seems to be only one practical solution, and that is negotiations with the Syrians and ultimately, withdrawal from the Golan and Lebanon. We should not kid ourselves, either, that we will be able to keep any part of the Golan, except perhaps the small strip of land on this side of the Sea of Galilee that Syria conquered in 1948. Ehud Barak knows this and PM Benjamin Netanyahu knows this. The Third Way party of Avigdor Kahalani left the Labor party and helped contribute to the debacle of 1996, but they no longer enjoy very much support, so it is possible that even their voters have understood the truth. Mid-East Humor A new Web site features satires on Mid-Eastern culture and political figures. No cows remain sacred: http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/2506/index.html. This is not a PEACE group initiative - but don’t we all wish it were? Humorous submissions are welcome! Ami Isseroff ________________________________ While you are visiting us Peace Final Settlement Declaration -
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