Part of the price of British involvement in the Iraq war
was that Bush publish a ‘road map’ to peace in
the middle east. This involves the resolution
of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict by creating
a Palestinain state over the next several years.
It places the Bush administration at odds
with the present Israeli government–the
official position of Likud, Sharon’s party, is
that it will never allow a Palestinian state.
Sharon has always stood for the growth
of settlements. He was from the first a vocal
opponent of the Oslo accords.
The Mitchell peace plan had as a first step
Israel and the Palestinians talking again.
The next step was a freeze on settlements.
Sharon’s way of avoiding the second step was
to avoid the first by insisting that there
had to be an end to the Palestinian
uprising before he would talk to
the Palestinians. When Palestinians have
managed to damp down violence
by 90 percent, and a cessation of all
terrorist attacks, Sharon insisted it
wasn’t good enough. There has to
be a complete cessation of any sort
of violence. This empowers
anybody with a gun to stop the peace
process–and there are elements of the
Palestinians who oppose any negottiations
with Israel. Meanwhile the settlements grow,
causing a violate reaction, causing an occupation,
causing a violent reaction, causing acts by the
Israeli military that the USA calls ‘provocative.’
So Sharon never talks to the Palestinains,
so the settlements continue to grow–which
is largely the point of the exercise.
Many members of Congress are funded by
strongly pro-Israel lobbies. When Colin
Powell planned to give a speech to
Congress asking Israel to remove the
condition that there must be 7 days with no
violence before there could be
peace talks, because it made a political
settlement impossible, there was a general bi-partisian
uprising insisting that the speech would be
too hard on Israel. The Bush admin forced
Powell to remove the objectionable request.
And so the situation has spiraled downward…
The ‘road map’ to peace is now being attacked
in Congress by both Democrats and Republicans
on the ground that it requires Israel to make concessions in
tandem with Palestinian concessions, including
freezing settlements, rather
than wait until all violence stops before
talking to the Palestinians, etc..
Solving the Israeli-Palestinian problem
is the single most positive way to win the
war on terror. For it is the well-spring of
rage against the USA,. Here is the alternative to
the erosion of our civil liberties. As long as it
continues, the middle east and the world
will be a sick place.
Ultimately the problem will be decided in
the USA. We have the power to end
the problem, because we fund all concerned.
Israel gets 3 billion a year. None of
the parties can survive without us.
But it is very dangerous politically for an
American president to stand up to Israel.
Bush is especially vulnerable–because he
was elected significantly by the religious right, which is
strongly for a return to a Biblical Greater
Israel.
In short, this problem will be decided largely by
American voters. So I want to appeal to everyone:
please pay attention to this one.
Whatever you think about what I’ve said, whether you
agree or disagree, please write your congressfolk, learn more,
get involved. Much depends on what you and I will say and do.
Please don’t leave it to the politicians.
These next two years are likely to determine what life
in America, and much of the
rest of the world, will be like for decades.
We’re now up to our ears in the Middle East–heaven help us
if we will not be peace makers. Best to all