TJP

Israel and Palestine: The Time for Peace is now

Byron A. Ellis – January 28, 2009

Apartheid Israel has become like the regime that it most despised and that is the irony of using violence to plunder Palestine and subjugate its people. Israel in an effort to keep Palestinians from their former homeland has become a pariah nation. It is not too late, however, for Israel to reverse course.

Israel, who supported apartheid South Africa, should understand that oppressing Palestinians and occupying Palestine is not a permanent proposition. Apartheid South Africa could not oppressed native South Africans forever; oppression is a finite proposition.

Furthermore, as the demographic of the United States changes and its citizens become aware of the oppressive apartheid Israeli regime, there will be a flood of voices clamoring for the curtailment of the yearly $3 billion dollars military support to Israel.

And, like with the South African apartheid regime, no amount of Israeli lobbying of politicians will prevent American activist and voters from demanding the U.S government and financial institutions disassociate themselves from apartheid regimes.

However, Israel could and should prevent this outcome by dismantling its apartheid regime and negotiating in good faith with Palestine.

Moreover, the current policy of slaughtering Palestinians should be immediately halted; the Israeli leadership should signal to the world that uncivilized military responses would no longer Israel’s policy.

Furthermore, it should immediately open the borders for free flow of commerce and invite Hamas and Fatah, as part of a united Palestine, to Israel to discuss possible short-term and long-term amicable solutions to the conflict.

If the scale of terror inflicted on civilians measures terrorism, then labeling Hamas as terrorist group is meaningless and counterproductive. Israel’s terror against Gazans far exceeds Hamas’ terror against Israelites.

Certainly, Hamas does not have a clean hand. And, Hamas too has committed atrocities. Nonetheless, both are intelligent and seemingly rational people. Therefore, it should be quite simple to move to a quasi-optimal or even an optimal position of exchange, whereby some form of stability could exist between Palestine and Israel.

First, both parties should separately look and document the “as is” conditions and proceed to determine a short list of the “to be” conditions necessary for peaceful coexistence. From the “to be” conditions Israel and Palestine should quickly work out the items of agreement and if the difficult items cannot be work out, then agree to split them.

With a new administration signaling diplomacy and mutual respect n the Middle East, there is a unique opportunity for mature and wise world leaders in Palestine and Israel to non-violently work out their problems. And, it would be unwise for either party to delay the process.

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