The idea of unilateral separation from the Palestinians has become
a widespread ideology that drives many different Israeli political
organizations and leaders. The concept is based on taking
unilateral steps to separate the Israelis and the Palestinians by
physical means such as fences, walls and barbed wire. There are at
least ten specific plans that outline different techniques, and
boundaries, for separation. The outgoing national unity government
decided to carry out its own plan, and the work of erecting
physical barriers is now in progress. It's hard to predict how the
break-up of the government and the decision to hold new elections
will affect the pace and scope of this project.
This simplistic and populist idea is an attempt to satisfy the
instinctive needs of the Israeli public for personal security,
without giving much thought to its consequences and implications.
It is a substitute for the renewal of serious political
negotiations aimed at reaching an agreement on the unresolved
issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is true that the
level of trust has been greatly reduced because of the violence,
but any unilateral steps will not solve the longstanding underlying
problems of the conflict. On the contrary, they will fuel it for
years to come.
Unilateral separation will not establish agreed borders, will not
solve the problem of the settlements, will not solve the problem of
Jerusalem, but it will lead to a further deterioration of the
economic situation among Palestinians, will further humiliate them
by caging the whole population behind a fence, and it will leave
the wounds open. Such an approach will only increase hostility,
animosity and the motivation to continue the violence.
We believe that the preferable alternative is serious and
well-intentioned political negotiations that would lead to the
establishment of a Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel,
with mutually agreed borders. Only this method of conflict
resolution can ensure that Israelis and Palestinians will live in
peace, security and prosperity. This is the only path that can
eventually bring about the badly needed reconciliation between two
nations that have suffered so much, two nations that need to change
the current confrontational course of events for their mutual
wellbeing.
In the very near future, the Israeli people will carry out
elections that will determine who the next prime minister will be
and the composition of his coalition government. These elections
will have a great influence on Israeli-Palestinian relations for
the coming years. We hope that the Israelis will choose the road of
negotiation, peace process and reconciliation, rejecting the path
of violent confrontation and continuation of the conflict.
The Palestinians can do much to encourage this trend. Palestinian
attacks against Israelis have to stop. Such attacks generate
support for the hawkish candidates in the Israel elections. The
Palestinians can indirectly decide who the next Israeli leader will
be.
At the same time, Israel has to stop all collective punishment
measures against the Palestinians, such as closures, sieges, other
restrictions and killing Palestinians. This will encourage
moderates in that camp by assuring them that there is another way
to solve the conflict rather than violence.
We believe that the preferable alternative is serious and
well-intentioned political negotiations that would lead to the
establishment of a Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel,
with mutually agreed borders. Only this method of conflict
resolution can ensure that Israelis and Palestinians will live in
peace, security and prosperity. This is the only path that can
eventually bring about the badly needed reconciliation between two
nations that have suffered so much, two nations that need to change
the current confrontational course of events for their mutual well
being.