Geneva accord: another attempt to hope

Catholic New Times, Nov 16, 2003

The world wearies of the conflict in Israel/Palestine. Since the beginning of the al-Aqsa Intifada on Sept. 29, 2000, started by the highly publicized and provocative walk of Ariel Sharon to the Temple Mount (near al Aqsa), 3,500 people have died.

Each is precious in the eyes of God, somebody's son or daughter, father or mother. The second Intifada was different from the first popular uprising. This one degenerated into an armed revolt, a rebellion not only against Israeli oppression and occupation but against Palestinian leadership, seen as too submissive to Israel.

Six years after the Oslo Accords, in 1993, the persistent ongoing humiliations at checkpoints continued unabated. Illegal settlements proliferated. As Palestinian fury boiled over, Hamas and Islamic Jihad launched the horrendous and terrifying suicide bombers, a desperate protest against the huge asymmetry of military fire power. The cynical Israeli leadership used the despicable bombings to ratchet up their unrestrained attempts to dismantle the Palestinian infrastructure. After 9/11, the cry became "Arafat is Bin Laden."

Israelis, justifiably terrified at this tactic, turned to Ariel Sharon, the tough-talking sheriff whom they thought would guarantee them security. Given Sharon's lifetime antipathy to Arabic peoples, the results have been predictably disastrous.

Almost 1,000 Israelis have been killed, the citizenry terrified at the prospect of getting on a bus or going out for coffee. Palestinians have died by a ratio of three to one. But who is counting when each life is a universe unto itself?.

As world opinion began to turn against Israel's use of F-16, Apache helicopters and its extrajudicial assassinations, North American Jews circled the Wagons and lashed out at anybody daring to criticize Sharon or Israel. The xenophobic cry "ha'olam qulo negdeno" (The whole world is against us) began to be heard both in Israel and in the diaspora. Relations between friends began to sour as Jews bought into the scenario that Israel was actually in physical jeopardy. The economy of Israel went into a tailspin. Poverty jumped to levels not seen since the 1950s as the military budget ate up any discretionary funds. Tourists stayed away in droves.

Both Jews and Arabs are exhausted. Polls keep showing that 70 per cent of each side wants to solve this gaping wound. Anybody visiting Israel is driven to tears at the pain and the tragic waste of life. There is, however, something in the human spirit that keeps trying.

At this time it is the Geneva Accord, an unofficial peace pact that bypasses the present leadership of both sides, particularly the intransigent Ariel Sharon and the cowardice of the American state, which for ideological reasons, spends one-fourth of its aid on a first world country.

Released and signed in Amman, Jordan on October 13 by a group of left-wing Israelis like Yossi Beilin, a former cabinet minister, and Palestinian equivalent, Palestinian Authority cabinet member Yasser Abed Rabbo, the unofficial Accord has caused a buzz. It includes:

* No right of return for Palestinian refugees in exchange for compensation

* Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state

* Huge settlements in the West Bank and around Jerusalem ceded to Israel

* Israel withdraws to 1967 borders with minor variances and land swaps.

These are a few of the proposals. Much is missing, particularly the presence of international observers as monitoring agents. Israel well knows it can not allow the world to see what visitors and peacemaking teams consistently see--a crude and dehumanizing occupation that flies in the face of universal Jewish values. The surest sign of this plan's potential are the howls of protest of Sharon. It is an accord which bypasses traditional political structures.

Support was swift in coming from a roster of celebrities gathered under the banner One Voice (www.silentnolonger.com). They include actors Brad Pitt, Danny De Vito, Jason Alexander and Edward Norton. Mohammed Ali has joined world Jewish Congress chairman, Canada's Edgar Bronfman, and U.S. American Arabic Institute president James Zogby. Wealthy American-Jewish businessman David Libetzky phrased it well, "We are preparing for an explosion of moderation. Our plan is to isolate the violent extremes. The silent majority, Israeli and Palestinian has had its voices hijacked by extremists for the past three years."

The Accord was signed Nov. 4 and mailed to millions of homes. Canada would do well to get behind this hope-filled initiative. One more death is too many.