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Special Report
A Precarious Peace Offer
"We cannot control the firing of these rockets from Gaza," explained Maen Areikat, the deputy head of the negotiations department for the Palestinian Authority.
Speaking at the American Colony Hotel in East Jerusalem last week, Areikat, a relative moderate among Palestinian officials, made the offhand remark in the midst of a discussion about peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
According to Areikat, the PA desires a "lasting peace" with Israel, which would require Israel to withdraw to its pre-1967 borders (with some modifications), to create a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, and offer a "just solution" to the Palestinian refugee issue.
The problem is that even if one assumes the best intentions from PA representatives such as Areikat, there can be no "lasting peace" for Israel as long as Hamas maintains control of Gaza, and continues to launch rockets into southern Israel.
Since Israel withdrew from Gaza in August 2005, thousands of rockets have landed in and around the Israeli town of Sderot, just a few miles east of the Gaza border. While the missiles are generally inaccurate and don't cause massive casualties, the constant threat of attack has taken a psychological toll on the local population and plays a dominant role in the daily life of the town.
The Israeli government sends a siren to residents warning them of an incoming missile, but they only get 15 seconds to seek cover, for instance, at bomb shelters situated by bus stops. As a result, some mothers have stopped wearing seat belts when driving so they'll have additional time to protect their children, while other residents are afraid of taking showers.
Terrorists have also been firing rockets into Ashkelon, a few miles to the north, even though it houses the Rotenberg Power Station, which supplies electricity to Gaza, and Barzilai Hospital, which treats Gaza patients. Earlier this year, a rocket landed in the hospital's parking lot.
Starting with last year's conference in Annapolis, the Bush administration has made a late push for Middle East peace. But these efforts, which, depending on what happens in Israeli elections in February, could accelerate under Barack Obama, are futile as long as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Fatah movement cannot stop Hamas.
Areikat argued that the factional split among Palestinians should be of no concern to peacemakers.
"Of course, we would love to have an agreement with all the factions, where we could offer a united Palestinian position on Israel, but if that is not going to be obtainable, then we will continue and we will reach an agreement with Israel," he said.
Any agreement would then trigger a public referendum, requiring the approval of a majority of Palestinians.
"If majority of people support it, and we cannot implement it in Gaza, then we will have to wait until the conditions are different there so we can implement it," Areikat said. "I hope we can end that before, but if this situation persists, then unfortunately, we have to deal with it, but we are not going to allow it to be an obstacle in the way of pursuing peace."
Areikat insisted that Hamas's victory in the January 2006 parliamentary elections had nothing to do with the group's founding goal of destroying Israel, and he claimed that like most Palestinians, he had never read the Hamas charter. (His associate, Rami Tahboub, went a step further, declaring, "There is no Hamas charter.")
But regardless of Areikat's interpretation of the events, the facts on the ground are that since expelling Fatah forces in June 2007, Hamas has had control of Gaza, using a complex network of hundreds of tunnels to smuggle in weapons and explosives.
Earlier this month, Hamas pulled out of talks with Fatah that were to be brokered by Egypt. Further complicating matters, there is a looming power struggle set for January, with both factions disputing when Abbas's term is supposed to end.
Philip Klein is The American Spectator's Washington correspondent.
Comments
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Jason| 11.21.08 @ 8:39AM
One can only wonder how the new Obama administration will react.
http://rightklik.blogspot.com/
Alan Brooks| 11.21.08 @ 10:36AM
Good thing Israel has enough firepower to destroy Gaza-- they will probably need to use it some day.
Alan Brooks| 11.21.08 @ 12:41PM
America can't do much about Palestinians, Israel is stuck with them, yet having secstate Hillary do something about Iran-- sending many Iranians to be with Allah-- sounds like a conceivable plan.
It just might work.
Daphne Kenward| 11.21.08 @ 2:18PM
No escuse should be found for not having peace. Peace should and must be the solution. Both groups are engaged in violence, one group cannot decide on peace it must be both. It is important for the future of the people of that area.
Israeli children are being raised on a diet of violence and hatred. It's no good for the future.
Palestinians being raised on violence and hatred.
All sides needs to engage into dialougue, for the future of their country and their people.
It's very important, for people to forget their differences and look towards a better future for their citizens on both sides.
If Palestinians are raised on seeing their people imprisoned, killed gun down, and blown up, you create the terror of the future, it is true for both sides.
The IRA gave up aftyer years of Terror and violence and it can happen in the West Bank and Gazza, and Israel if they choose it.
Many will dissagree because they think violence is a solution. Violence has never been a solution to anything, if one starts a fire, and you think the only way to put it out is to start a bigger fire, then in my view you end up with fires. To acheive peace you have to introduce peace.
Alan Brooks| 11.21.08 @ 9:01PM
Hamas is NOT comparable to IRA.
But okay, maybe something can be worked out, perhaps warring factions can be invited to a Love-In, with Ben and Jerry's ice cream served as refreshment.
You think?
Thomas| 11.21.08 @ 9:47PM
Let's see here. Israel concedes everything that Yassar Arafat wants at Camp David. All it asks in return is recognition of its right to exist. Arafat refuses. Palestinian attacks continue. Over the ensuing years, Israel cedes the Gaza Strip and the West Bank to the Palestinians, forcibly removing Jewish settlers, in exchange for peace. The attacks continue. Israel builds a wall to stop the Palestinians from attacking them. The attacks continue. The only thing that Israel has not done is drive the Palestinians out of the territory and kill any who remain. Yet, that is the avowed goal of Hamas, Fatah and Hezbollah with regards to the Israelis.
Just give peace a chance...riiiight.
Alan Brooks| 11.22.08 @ 12:53AM
For peace we need men to be less nationalistic and violent-- in short we need men to be WOMEN.
I'm going to go to the clothing shop first thing tomorrow and buy some bell bottomed trousers.
polemicscat| 11.22.08 @ 5:16PM
Walid Shoebat, born in Bethlehem, grew up under the influence of jihadists. As a young man, he was a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization and participated in acts of terrorism. He has abandoned that life now and has written a book "Why I Left Jihad." Anyone who wants to know the difference between Jews and Muslims should read his book.
Daphne Kenward| 11.22.08 @ 5:51PM
It's unfortunate for many Americans who for no fault of their own have no real clue what is really going on in Palestine, because it is largely covered up for obvious reasons.
I am convinced it will be disclosed in the coming years and it will be one of the most imbarrassing thing since slavery and the massacre of the native Indian population.
The thing that surprises me many people who do not read much or watch educated materials on the subject can only rely on what the Isralis want you to know. But they still make statements on a subject they have no real understanding of.
Some do not even realise that a small group have terrorised and committed genocide against the Palestinian people for 50 years, and are told about succide bombers, but forget to say why people would resourt to such desperate measures.
Much of what is going on in Palestine is far worse than in Nazi Germany, but many people in America is not aware of it. So if any one speak of the Genocide, it is thought they are Anti- Semetic.
Strange as it may seem, how many people are anti Muslim, and Anti -Christian because they are not important enough to demand the same respect of their Religion. How many are willing to lose their culture and tradition protecting a group who do not even respect Christians let alone Muslims.
To invent laws to protect one group, to deny another group of their basic human rights is now a wisew move at all. For all groups to come to the table and openly discuss the real issues oppose to cover up and lies is better told befor the shock and horror come before us and people say only if we knew, the information is out there if people is curious enough to look and find the answers, oppose to playing ignorant. Genocide is a very serious crime, and it is going on in Palestine and people should wake up to it.
Alan Brooks| 11.23.08 @ 4:14PM
I might as well admit it, Daphne: I'm a Mossad agent-- real name David Moe Greenberg.
My first project was with David Ferrie and Guy Banister in the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963.
My latest project is 'Operation fluoridation', to fluoridate the precious bodily fluids (Purity Of Essence, P.O.E.) of Palestinian children by feeding them chicken and matzoh ball soup laced with fluoride.
Alan Brooks| 11.23.08 @ 5:54PM
Daphne,
genocide isn't caused so much by politics, security issues, social conditions, ethnic conflicts...
genocide derives from the male urge to kill, mutilate, torture, to
bite and fight
to slice and dice
to bash and smash
to mush and crush
to chop and slop
to punch and crunch
to waste and baste...
it will be a long time 'til peace in the Mideast, a VERY long time.
Daphne Kenward| 11.24.08 @ 6:02PM
Tony Blair is Peace envoy to the Middle East, Prince Charles will be leader of the world soon. And the Pope will be leader of all faiths worldwide, and one world government. Anything is possible Alan.
Daphne Kenward| 11.25.08 @ 1:22PM
My God is your God, lets submit to him.
The Land of Canaan, it to be the crntre of world peace, for Christians, Jews, Muslims. Under One God.
Some one does not want it to happen, I won't go into why no one on this page will understand it it's too big for them.
Daphne Kenward| 11.25.08 @ 1:46PM
Much of our problems is based on greed, and if men are the source of violence in the world, they can also be the source of peace in the world. To understand what love is and what it means, it is not about the love of one's self but the love of others.
If a man truely loves his children, and his grand children he would want a safe and peacefull world to leave them to live in.
If we look at the Canaanite problem, it's vengeful its full of hate, and it creates no stability, to create a florishing society. We have what is right in the world, and what is wrong in the world, and both sides want's to right and wrong at the same time, overwhelmed with hatred they kill the love and peace, trying to promote hatred of one another. It cannot last. The forces of good and evil one will overcome the other.