Like two trains speeding towards each other on the same track, the governments of Bush andSharon are racing towards an unavoidable collision.
The earthquake of September 11 th changed the Middle East completely. If Ariel Sharon thoughtthat, at last, the basis for full cooperation in the War Against Terror between Washington andJerusalem, a Bush(a)ron super-government, against Bin Laden and Arafat, had been created,he was reading the wrong map. Quite the opposite happened.
Up until the disaster occurred the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was far from the center ofWashington’s attention, just another annoying conflict in some remote corner of the world.However, as soon as the Twin Towers collapsed the Middle East arrived in Washington. Untilthen the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was a matter of domestic policy: relations with theJewish voters and with their representatives in Congress and in the media. Now the conflicthas become the focus of national American interest.
Suddenly the American government discovered that tremendous rage and hatred has built up inthe Arab and Muslim world against the United States primarily for its absolute support ofIsrael, the oppressor of their Palestinian brothers. The masses were enraged by the dailypictures of armed occupying soldiers in their bullet-proof vests killing Palestinians,shooting at children, uprooting trees, destroying homes, expropriating land, buildingsettlements, assassinating leaders, imposing closures and sieges, humiliating theelderly and women – all of this with American weapons, American money and American politicalsupport. The feelings of the masses were like a river obstructed by a dam – they rose quietly andslowly until they reached critical mass and split the dam open.
Washington has realized that Bin Laden exploited this massive rage and adopted thePalestinian issue to secure the support of the Arab and Muslim masses for his objectives. Tofight Bin Laden the Americans must subdue the waves of rage and appease the people. To do so theymust find a solution that is acceptable to the Palestinians and to the rest of the Arab andMuslim nations.
The Arab leaders alerted Washington. The enraged masses in their countries identify with BinLaden. They are endangering all Pro-American kings and presidents. To save them, a solutionmust be found for the Palestinian problem.
The message was understood in Washington. Bush began to speak of a Palestinian State. CollinPowell speaks of a solution to the conflict. Outdoing them all, the main spokesman of the WarAgainst Terror, the British Tony Blair with Arafat at his side, made a very clearPro-Palestinian statement. Arafat, with his usual swiftness, immediately understood thehistorical significance of the moment and was the first to jump on the American bandwagon.Sharon meanwhile compared Bush to Chamberlain
The Sharon-Peres government view this as a disaster. Any American solution that can beconceived in these circumstances will have to resemble the guidelines formulated by Clintonat the end of his term in office: a Palestinian State with its capital in East Jerusalem, theTemple Mount for the Palestinians and the Western Wall for the Israelis, a return to theborders of the Green Line with minimal territorial exchange, evacuation of all thesettlements (except the few that will be included in the territorial exchange, if so agreed).Every detail in this plan is a direct stab in the heart of Sharon.
Sharon is still hopeful that, with the help of Congress and the American Jewishestablishment, he will be able to thwart this move. A short visit to America has convinced me,however, that he is holding on to an obsolete map. Congress has lost much of its power and cannotdefy the President who is the supreme commander of the War. The Jews of America will bereluctant to take a stance that will portray them as more loyal to Israel than to theirgovernment. The voices critical of Sharon and his policies are getting louder in the Jewishcommunity. A divergence is developing between officials who serve any Israeli governmentand Jewish leaders with independent opinions.
This is bad for Sharon but good for Israel. The armed conflict with the Palestinians is gainingmomentum. The assassination of leaders and occupation of land are elements of the pointlessescalation. Outside intervention is crucial to allow the two sides to stop shooting and tostart seriously negotiating a solution. An opportunity has been created and all peaceseekers, Israelis and Palestinian, Jews and Arabs all over the world, must make certain thatit is not missed.