The Road to Peace

by Aron Trauring

How do I feel about the road map? Well the downside is that we will have to live with endless puns about it, like Marcus' title for his article. But the question is particularly relevant given my views on what the ultimate resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict must be. And whatever one's view on the ultimate resolution of the conflict, the question still remains: how do we get from here to there?

Two points must be kept in mind before answering this question. Point number one is, that American pressure on Israel is a necessary pre-requisite for any progress. The Israelis, as the more powerful party by far, basically hold all the cards in this game. And without American pressure, Israel won't play. But as Marcus points out, it doesn't take much for America to make Israel jump. So if Bush is serious about doing something (a huge if), then getting Israel to comply won't be hard at all.

Point number two is, that before any solution is possible, a disengagement between the two people is necessary. The Palestinians must have the awful burden of the occupation removed from their shoulders. Israelis must feel safe in their homes and streets. Without this, neither side will be willing or able to attempt reconciliation.

The road map, if it is fully implemented with U.S. pressure, is in fact, quite a reasonable way to bring about this disengagement. Perhaps the two-state solution it envisions is a neccesary interim step to allow the hatred and anger to die down and hope and reconciliation to grow. "Interim" is the operative word. In the long run a "Jewish state" living side-by-side with a "Palestinian state" will not be economically, politically or even morally viable. Eventually both sides will need to accept the obvious, and relinquish their separate "states." Even from the very beginning, economic viability will require the two states to be so closely intertwined, they will be seperate in name only.

Unfortunately, there are so many ifs involved in implementing the road map, that it is easy to be pessimistic. Certainly many American Jews (especially American Jewish "leaders") and other so-called "friends of Israel" will do their best to hold Bush back and allow Sharon to drag his feet. The continued expropriation of Palestinian land through settlements and the "security wall", almost guarantees that the Palestinian "state" will be more of a cruel hoax than a source of hope. Continued Palestinian opression guarantees more resistance and violence. Hence, it is quite realistic to fear that the road map will eventually  lead to the creation of a Palestinian Bantustan, and not to the real end of the conflict.

But instead of losing hope or being overwhelmed by pessimism, a more productive approach is for true friends of the Israelis and Palestinians to keep up the pressure on Bush and Sharon. They have made some high-minded declarations. It is our job to ensure that these declarations are implemented in full, and are not relgated to mere lip service to silence their critics.