THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, April 5, 1996 TAG: 9604050001
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Opinion
SOURCE: By ISRAEL ZOBERMAN
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
The Middle East peace process finds itself at fateful crossroads following the recent terrorist suicide-bombings in Israel's urban centers.
The 100-years-long deadly entanglement between Arab and Jew began to be unlocked by the courageously crafted 1979 rapprochement between President Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel.
That first breach in the wall separating avowed antagonists was led on the Arab side by no other than Egypt. Though Sadat became a sacrifice on the altar of correcting history's course, his act of faith, along with Begin's willing yet costly compromise, was necessary for the next breakthrough to follow. That was not to happen without the painful 1982 Lebanon war, which highlighted the Palestinian factor and the urgency of responding creatively to its complex dimensions.
The bloody and embarrassing Intifada erupting in 1987 confirmed Israel's need to come to grips with that portion of the Camp David Peace Accords remaining open, laying to rest those spoils of the 1967 Six-Day War, which paradoxically have both allowed and forced it to negotiate peace. The PLO and Chairman Yasser Arafat received the final wake-up call in the wake of the 1991 Persian Gulf war. He bet on the wrong horse, while facing the prospect of being replaced by the even-more-militant Muslim fundamentalism of the uncompromising Hamas ilk.
The 1993 shaky handshake between Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Chairman Arafat on the South Lawn of the White House, with President Clinton acting as proud officiant, changed forever the dynamics of Middle Eastern politics, facilitating Jordan's 1994 peace treaty with Israel.
Rabin, ironically the victorious architect of the glorious 1967 war of survival, fell victim to its bitter fruit and an Israeli-Jewish extremist vengefully trying to halt proceeding toward a land-for-peace solution, causing an immense trauma. The ex-soldier's heroic peacemaking has already dramatically enlarged Israel's circle of diplomatic and economic connections, substantially rewarding the cooperative Arabs, including the hard-pressed Palestinians.
In January, I was among 55 rabbis on a peace mission to visit the leadership of Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority. We were in Gaza on the eve of the first Palestinian elections, protected by armed guards as we entered at the Erez checkpoint, where a relative of mine, a young Israeli officer, was killed about a year ago.
We were warmly greeted by General Usuf, head of security; he impressed us with his realistic appraisal, stating that it is easier to fight than to engage in peace and that it is absolutely necessary to educate the young generation for a new reality, acknowledging that both societies are interdependent. Wise words, indeed.
We owe a great deal to President Clinton for his steadfast backing throughout this excruciating series of highs and lows, its uplifting moments and, particularly, during the devastating ordeal of assassination and terrorist explosions. He has won the heart of Israel with his reassuring presence and wide initiative, spearheading the anti-terrorism summit conference and taking concrete steps to provide aid in efforts to counter terrorism. Such steps should include cutting off financial support from sources in the United States and Europe to the sponsors of wholesale slaughter, Iran receiving no uncertain notice for its criminal involvement.
I remain confident about the potential to avoid the pitfalls of the past, though I am concerned about the May 28 Israeli elections and the possible loss of nerve after being so gravely tested. Having grown up in the Israel of the '50s and '60s and having served in its army, I appreciate the miracle of a transformed environment that we could not even dream of then. The essential agreement with Syria and Lebanon, without which there is no peace, is in the offing, mindful of the thorny Golan issue.
Even hard-nosed President Hafez el-Assad cannot long deny it; his role is vital in checking the plague of violence which he does not hesitate to unleash for his own purposes. Arafat knows that his future and that of his long-deprived people depends on standing up to foes from within who are undermining their own brethren.
Amending the Palestinian National Covenant in regard to Israel's destruction is long overdue. We surely cannot permit the purveyors of chaos and hate to have the last say. They will not alter the progressive agenda and valiant vision to yet turn swords into plowshares, hallowing the gift of life through the gift of peace. MEMO: Rabbi Zoberman is spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Chaverim in
Virginia Beach. He grew up in Haifa, Israel, and is a contributing
editor of the Jewish Spectator.
by CNB