Many of us were pleased to see Mustafa Bargouti among the ministers in the new Palestinian government. Mustafa Bargouti is well known to the peace camp in Israel and to the friends of peace in the international community. He appears regularly in the international media as an effective and articulate spokesperson for the Palestinian cause. As a rule, Bargouti supports serious dialog between Palestinians and Israeli groups fighting for a just peace. His frequent appearances in important meetings of the protest movement bear witness to his humanist principles. He was absolutely right when he declared on television this week that if Israel really wants peace, all the issues can be solved peacefully within the framework of the two-state solution. If the people of Israel will find a way to overcome the obstacles raised by the Olmert government, peace can be achieved ushering in a period of prosperity and security.
It has been long clear that the Palestinians and the Arab countries are ready for a far-reaching compromise for peace. If there is a chance at this point for serious negotiations, it stems from the crisis of Bush's policies. The area is in turmoil, and US control of the Middle East is on the downgrade. The entire world keeps telling the US government that the tension surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the US blanket support for Israel is destroying the last vestiges of US prestige in the region. As a result of the US ensnarement in Iraq, the so-called "moderate" Arab countries are demanding some sort of revision in US policy. Rice is trying to pass off a new round of blather and chatter as the restart of the ‘peace process', but more and more nations and countries are losing their patience. Everybody has had enough of the bluff.
Voice out of Zion
The newspaper photo of Tsipi Livni speaking at the recent AIPAC conference was terrible. In the photo you see Livni, as if she were in some sort of virtual cockpit hovering above the audience. Sadly enough, Livni's message was even worse. She personally informed the AIPAC delegates of the call of the Israeli government to the Jews of the US to do everything in their power in order to strengthen the hand of George W. Bush and his dwindling band of followers so they can remain firm and resolute and fight on in Iraq until victory.
It seems, for a change, that in this matter, there is no difference of opinion between the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister. Olmert explained (by video) to the same conference that the US must not show any weakness because this would impair stability in the region. Olmert really outdid himself when he attempted to convince a delegation from the Reform movement to support Bush and the continuation of the war. Olmert doesn't know or he just does not care that the Reform movement was the first major religious denomination in the US to come out (by an overwhelming majority at its democratically elected conference) against the war. It is hard to decide if Olmert is that much of a fool, or if he is simply fulfilling a request (more like an order) from the leader of the free world who is competing with him in a tight race to the lowest rungs of unpopularity.
By: Reuven Kaminer [ ::: The Region ::: ]
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