The Middle East conflict: view of current conflicts from Israel

Peter Lyukimson, Israel. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza

Representatives of the Palestinian autonomy recently began a massive propaganda campaign aimed at explaining their position to the world; and Fayed Mustafa’s speech in Moscow was a part of the campaign.

Israel is trying to find solutions to the current problems, but the Palestinian side either avoids dialogue or destroys talks when it seems that everything has been settled, using terrorist attacks against Israel and attempts to delegitimize its right to existence. It happened in 1999 when Ehud Barack was Premier of Israel. It happened in 2008 when Ehud Olmert headed the Israeli government. Today Israel fears that the scenario will take place again. Many political observers are sure that the leader of the Palestinian autonomy, Mahmoud Abbas, agreed to these talks under Western pressure, but only to avoid accusations of unwillingness to achieve peace and destroy the negotiations at the last moment and accuse the Jewish state of this.

Mr. Mustafa is right that Israel is putting all it's chips on the table. Israel agrees to the establishment of a Palestinian state on the basis of the cease-fire frontline of 1967 (it was a frontline, because no “borders of 1967” had ever existed in international law: before 1967 the so-called West Bank was occupied by Jordan and Gaza was occupied by Egypt. This is the subject of the discussion).

At the same time, Israel insists that all major residential areas in Judaea and Samaria (4-6% of the West Bank) should be given to Israel; while Israel will give to Palestine a similar territory near Negev. Israel is also to give Arab residential areas to the Palestinian state, but the Palestinians and residents of the areas, who have Israeli citizenship, stand against this.

However, in general the sides have close positions on the issue: both Israel and the Palestinians are ready to make an exchange of territories. At the same time, there are still a lot of problems. For example, the question of whether Israel should provide a link between the West Bank and Gaza and allow the Palestinians to build a road on their sovereign territory. In any case, the problem of residential areas can be settled, and it is not the main obstacle on the path to peace, if both sides take a rational position.

The problem of Palestinian refugees is much more urgent. All Arab countries refused to give them citizenship. According to Israel, the problem of refugees can be solved only within the future Palestinian state. If the question of paying compensation to them for lost property arises, it should be resolved in connection with paying compensation to 1 million Jews who had to leave Arab countries and are actually refugees as well.

The third problem is that, within the treaty on a final settlement, Israel demands from the Palestinians to recognize it as “a Jewish state and the national home of the Jewish people.” At the moment the Palestinians reject this article, and it may mean that after the establishment of a Palestinian state, the Arabs who live in Israel will demand autonomy and then independence and joining Palestine – as happened in Karabakh.

The fourth problem is the problem of Jerusalem. The Palestinians insist that the East part of Jerusalem, which includes the most important Jewish shrines and remained under Jordan’s control until 1967, was declared the capital of the Palestinian state (on the territory of which no Jews should stay, according to Abbas), while West Jerusalem would be the capital of Israel. The Jews cannot agree with this variant, because they believe that Jerusalem should remain the solid and indivisible capital of Israel. According to Israel, the Palestinian capital should be Ramalla or the territory of Arab villages which are situated east of the current border of Jerusalem.

The fifth and the most important problem is that Israel has to get guarantees that in future the Palestinian state won’t become a platform for unification of an Arab army for attacking it, or that this territory won’t become a base for constant missile attacks, as happened with Gaza which Israel left willingly. For Abbas, it is very important to gain the release of terrorists. At the moment, about 75% of these people have been released as a goodwill gesture. It seems when 100% of them will be set free, the Palestinians will state that Israel is destroying the talks and will stop cooperation.

The sixth problem is separation of the Palestinian and Israeli economies. Today, even though Israel left Gaza, the UN has made it provide the territory with electricity, water, fuel, food, and so on. Israel insists on urgent discussion of the question, while the Palestinians think that the question is not important.

Today the Palestinians are not ready to establish an independent state and cannot live without UN support. IMF experts note that the majority of sums which are allocated by the UN and donor countries for building the Palestinian economy have been stolen by corrupt officials.

Of course, the review doesn’t touch on all the problems of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. However, to settle the situation, first of all, one should know the history well, and secondly, one should listen to both of the sides and analyze their positions.