It will take a generation
I am for the disengagement. While I firmly believe that this plan should not have been undertaken unilaterally without a partner on the other side coordinating efforts together, I still believe that in the grander scheme of things, Israel will be better off for it.
Even in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when our leaders were secretly negotiating peace deals in Madrid and Oslo, they knew this is how it would play out. When Arafat and Rabin shook hands reluctantly on the White House lawn, Rabin saw the images of Yamit in his head and probably wondered how in the world he would be able to evacuate parts of the West Bank and Gaza when it would come time to do so. Anyone with a brain knew that this was the end game. How else would land-for-peace work?
I won't detail all the reasons why I am for the disengagement. It really won't be any different from what you will or have already read. I don't think this move is actually "rewarding" terror. It's a reality check. And anyone who thinks or is expecting "peace" to come as quickly now as they were expecting it in the 90s is just delusional. This is a process that will take DECADES. A generation. Maybe more. Terror won't end in an instant. It might never end. But that's not a reason to not look for every single possible road to achieve peace.
There will always be opponents to peace between Israelis and Palestinians- on both sides. The only way is to minimize the number. Remove the walls that are holding people back from recognizing the other side. It's a re-educating of a generation- Palestinian and Israeli. Slowly, it will come. Slowly, the Palestinians will rebuild the foundations of their society and the youth will demand a transparent and accountable government. When other options present themselves as realistic, they will turn away from the goods that are being provided to them by the terror groups.
And at the same time, Israelis will recognize that it just doesn't make sense to hold onto parts of the West Bank and Gaza. Gaza is gone, and at some point, Israel must start talking about the West Bank too. If you think Gaza was (is) hard, the West Bank will be even harder. But that's just the way it is.
More to come...
Even in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when our leaders were secretly negotiating peace deals in Madrid and Oslo, they knew this is how it would play out. When Arafat and Rabin shook hands reluctantly on the White House lawn, Rabin saw the images of Yamit in his head and probably wondered how in the world he would be able to evacuate parts of the West Bank and Gaza when it would come time to do so. Anyone with a brain knew that this was the end game. How else would land-for-peace work?
I won't detail all the reasons why I am for the disengagement. It really won't be any different from what you will or have already read. I don't think this move is actually "rewarding" terror. It's a reality check. And anyone who thinks or is expecting "peace" to come as quickly now as they were expecting it in the 90s is just delusional. This is a process that will take DECADES. A generation. Maybe more. Terror won't end in an instant. It might never end. But that's not a reason to not look for every single possible road to achieve peace.
There will always be opponents to peace between Israelis and Palestinians- on both sides. The only way is to minimize the number. Remove the walls that are holding people back from recognizing the other side. It's a re-educating of a generation- Palestinian and Israeli. Slowly, it will come. Slowly, the Palestinians will rebuild the foundations of their society and the youth will demand a transparent and accountable government. When other options present themselves as realistic, they will turn away from the goods that are being provided to them by the terror groups.
And at the same time, Israelis will recognize that it just doesn't make sense to hold onto parts of the West Bank and Gaza. Gaza is gone, and at some point, Israel must start talking about the West Bank too. If you think Gaza was (is) hard, the West Bank will be even harder. But that's just the way it is.
More to come...
posted by elanit | 1:38 PM
2 Comments:
I hope your optimism regarding Palestinian society is correct. I have not seen signs which would make me believe that it is moving in a positive direction. Rather, the signs I've seen point the other way - Hamas is triumphant, and I believe they intend to use their momentum to try to wrest further concessions from Israel to the net effect of making Israel a non-viable concern.
God willing, they will fail.
You wrote, “I am for the disengagement. While I firmly believe that this plan should not have been undertaken unilaterally without a partner on the other side coordinating efforts together, I still believe that in the grander scheme of things, Israel will be better off for it.”
The disengagment logistics were coordinated with the PA. I think that Sharon did the right thing by disengaging uniltaraly, rather than as part of a peace agreement. Peace agreements with the Palestininas don’t hold. By disengaging unilaterily, Sharon is saying, this is in OUR interests. WE are setting the final borders of Israel.
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