(credit: Rina Castelnuovo/NYT)All my heart and sympathy go out to Israelis who’ve suffered yet another terror attack yesterday in Netanya at the hands of Islamic Jihad. This time four Israelis and the bomber were killed. An absolutely heroic security guard pinned the bomber to a wall while two police officers (one of them pregnant) ran to his aid. The bomber smiled (according to Robert Rosenberg) as he pushed the detonator. They all died with him. Imagine the unfathomable bravery of a pregnant woman rushing toward danger and cruel death instead of away from it. They are all great souls. May they enjoy eternal rest. May their families be comforted.
You’ll note that Hamas, eager to do well in upcoming Palestinian elections, has scrupulously avoided terror attacks during the tahdiye (or “lull”). Islamic Jihad is boycotting the elections and so has no compunctions and no investment. Does this tell us something about the value of drawing militants into the electoral process (if they’re willing to join it, that is)?
I recall that after Yitzhak Rabin’s 1995 assassination, when Shimon Peres ran in his own right as prime ministerial candidate of Labor, Palestinian militants also waged a merciless barrage of lethal attacks. This period was one of Peres’ infamous political ‘folds’ when he lost yet another election. Netanyahu won that one and inaugurated one of the worst prime ministerships on record in which he fatuously retreated into absolute impassivity.
I pray that any Palestinian who truly wants peace will do whatever he or she can to quell these murderous attacks. Suicide bombings not only fuel the candidacies of Sharon and Netanyahu. They siphon votes away from Peretz and Labor and guarantee the major campaign theme will become security, rather than Labor’s bread and butter, social and economic issues. [UPDATE: In fact, Haaretz publishes a December 7th poll indicating that Labor’s share of the vote (were it held today) would garner 22 seats as opposed to the 26 seats of last week’s poll. Sharon’s and Netanyahu’s parties each increased their shares.] If the militants want to destroy the political chances of the only Israeli leader who really wants a viable Palestinian state–who really wants to proceed directly to final status negotiations (something PA officials also desperately want), who wants to end the Occupation and withdraw from most settlements–then Islamic Jihad can do no better than continuing the attacks. But for Palestinian society to fail in stifling Islamic Jihad’s suicidal (literally and figuratively) militancy is to invite a hardline Israeli victory, the possible collapse of any prospects for peace, and a new and even more punishing (for both sides) intifada.
I don’t believe this formulation is correct. I have nothing bad to say about Peretz. I can just look back at Israeli Labour policies and see nothing but an abyss of skeptisism. The whole game revolves around a magical fantasy which sees an incredible tale where the 1948 green line border has some sort of incredible significance as to where Arabs can live and the redrawn ’67 border is wrong.
Likud politicians domestically hammer down on this and I’ve never seen a decent answer. Even the best intentioned Labour zionists run as far as they can from this and chestbeat that they are the Zionists and only they have a plan to rescue the idea of a Jewish democratic state (based on the ethnic cleansings of the inhabitants of Palestine circa 1948) .
Even if you take Peretz at his word what would perhaps come about is a powerless, civil administration to take up the job of taking out the garbage and performing security detail from the IDF in whatever might remain of the West Bank and Gaza. The IDF would continue to control the borders and the entire thing would be little more than a vast open air prison with an Arab face to vote for Lord’s High Jailor.
I presume you’re criticizing the notion that Israel will actually allow a viable independent Palestinian state. Of course, there is reason to question whether Sharon will be willing to accept such a notion. Many believe his idea is to create a few Palestinian bantustans surrounded by Israeli population centers so that the Palestinian entities will be fragmented and thus not a true independent state.
I can only say that no matter what Sharon (presuming he is next PM) is willing to accept–eventually there will be a viable Palestinian state that will control its own destiny and have a sustainable economy & civil society. It’s the only way to create a sustainable peace between the 2 parties. Anything less will only continue the instability & chaos.
And if you’re arguing for a single unified state (not sure whether you are or not) for both Israelis & Palestinians well, that’s what the anti-Zionist left is shooting for–but it’s simply a non-starter. The only Israelis who support this notion are the Neturei Karta, the super-Orthodox sect.