June 5, 2003

OCCUPATION - SURRENDER OR TACT

Sharon used the hitherto damnable world “occupation”. The Jewish and political worlds felt a tremor. They wondered whether the seventy-five year old leader of Israel metamorphosed or was experiencing first steps of aging. David Shipler, the New York Times former Jerusalem bureau chief says that Sharon “Is know for deftly pretending not to be doing what he is doing, or pretending to be doing what he is not.” Shipler then cites Levanon, where he says Sharon “took the invasion of Lebanon far beyond where his Prime Minister, Menachem Begin, though it would go…”

In essence, Shipler is telling his readers that Ariel Sharon has little credibility and that there are hidden subtleties in Sharon’s use of the work “occupation” and in his telling Likud party members, “holding 3.5 million Palestinians is a bad thing for Israel, for the Palestinians and for the Israeli economy” was just another tact in the wily warrior politician’s schemes. If Shipler is right, then Israeli residents in the West Bank and Gaza have nothing to worry about. The founder of their settlements and Jewish hawk is just playing a game. Ariel Sharon, however deft he may be, knows fully well that the eyes and ears of the world are upon him, he cannot say one thing and do something else. How then does he explain this complete reversal of character and thought by saying, “I feel that the rational necessity to reach a settlement is overcoming my feelings.”

Barak and Peres publicly accepted West Bank and Gaza as occupied territories but gave nothing away. Likudd’s Bibi Netanyahu however, gave Hebron to the Arabs. A conclusion has to be drawn. There are no political differences between Labor and Likud. Labor made its concessions in defeat to end the first intifada and Likud is following suit so it can end the  second intifada. I agree to putting and end to suicide murders and terrorism but is surrender the way to do it? It did not work the first time and it will not work now. I often hear people saying that the framers of the Oslo accords were traitors or fools. They were neither. They mistakenly believed that Arafat was a partner to peace. Sharon either knows something none of us do, or genuinely believes that Abu Abbas is the rare Arab leader who can be trusted.

Sacrifices for a genuine and long-term peace will be worth making when we feel a rational comfort level with the integrity of Arab leaders. And supposing they can be trusted, can the Arab constituency reverse the years of daily incitement to hate and violence against the Jews? It doesn’t seem possible. Offering sovereignty to a people who pray that their young sons and daughters become martyrs does not bode well for hopes of real and enduring peace.

I take Sharon at his word that he sincerely believes a peaceful settlement is attainable. I, like most Israelis admire this man, but as we used to say down
in Memphis, “In G-d we trust, all others pay cash.” With all due respect, Ariel Sharon will have to show his people more than feelings. He will have to do a
convincing job of justifying a land for peace deal and an Arab state within the borders of historic Eretz Yisrael.

I believe in the principle of “Give me liberty or give me death” but can anyone justifiably declare, “Give me land or give me death?” Giving land without peace is tantamount to death. In Israel, a peace will have to be a warm one, unlike the frigid peace Israel has with Egypt. Egypt’s boarders are miles away from Israel’s population centers. The vast expanse of the Sinai Peninsula offers us a considerable military advantage. An enemy Palestinian State is less than a few minutes from the heartland of the Jewish population centers.

Sharon is dreaming if he believes a demilitarized sovereign Palestinian state is possible. The Oslo accords specifically forbade Arab possession of weapons and beyond an agreed number. There were to be thirteen thousand policemen but it became an army of fifty thousand. Huge shipments of arms came to Gaza via illegal tunnels and fishing boats and this happened in “occupied territories”.

The road map to peace should be drawn upon the souls of trustworthy people with proven integrity. When Ariel Sharon proves that we can now trust these Arab neighbors, I will be the first to shout Baruch Hashem, Thank You! We all pray for it each day.

Shabbat Shalom