Israeli government seeks peaceful solution

By Eli Belotsercovsky

SINGAPORE (JP): There has never been a bad peace or a good war. This wisdom has undoubtedly survived the test of time. It is certainly also true with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

It was thanks to the leadership of the late Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin and Chairman Yasser Arafat that seven years ago, Palestinians and Israelis were put on a track leading to peace and reconciliation.

Both sides have been engaged since in a major effort, unprecedented in both scope and depth, to resolve this 100 years of conflict.

Last year the government of Prime Minister Ehud Barak made bold, courageous and unprecedented moves toward peace. At the Camp David summit, new ideas and concepts relating to the most sensitive and supposedly intractable issues were discussed. No prime minister before Barak touched the way he did the outer limits of his options for a compromise, as an Israeli and as a Jew.

The outbreak of violence in Jerusalem and throughout the West Bank and the Gaza Strip erupted at the point when peace negotiations are at their final stage. The events, which have been well organized and planned, are an attempt to pressure the Israeli government into fulfilling 100 percent of the Palestinians' demands.

Dozens so far have paid with their lives for this cynical political attempt to win short-term gains. Violence instigated by the Palestinian Authority media, and carried out, in some cases, by its own armed security forces, is not going to serve as an alternative for the brave decisions that are required.

The issue of Jerusalem, like all other outstanding issues, shall only and solely be resolved at the negotiating table.

For the past 33 years, Israel has consistently demonstrated its commitment to the freedom of religion and worship in Jerusalem. Heads of the various religious denominations in Jerusalem will attest to the fact that the city has never been so open to all believers. During the last month of Ramadhan, a record number of more than 400,000 Muslim worshipers attended Friday prayers at Al Aqsa Mosque.

The Jewish people have no quarrel with Islam. They respect the great Islamic civilization under which Jewish history realized some of the finest hours and most glorious cultural achievements. However, one should remember that the Jewish people never abandoned their dream of Jerusalem, their yearning for Beit Almikdas (the Temple).

And yet, the Israeli government has a forthcoming response to initiatives seeking to reconcile the legitimate religious links of Jews and Muslims to the Temple Mount and Haram el-Sharif.

Israel seeks peaceful solutions reached at the negotiating table. It does not and cannot have any interest whatsoever in the persistence of violence. It is therefore up to Chairman Arafat to exercise his unquestionable authority over his people and his security forces -- which are actively involved in the clashes -- to allow the situation to return to normal.

It is incumbent upon the Palestinians to desist from the use of force and to realize that history has brought both parties to a moment of truth and decision. A Palestinian failure to heed this historical call for a negotiated political solution will result in grave consequences.

It is important to understand that peace is not about twisting each others' arms, it is about defining a common interest. Israel is not going to change its position in the peace process, to budge to this violent pressure. Israel is determined to pursue a comprehensive peace based on respect, dignity and fairness, and take the calculated risks attached.

The extremists should not have veto power over the peace process. The best answer to the current situation is calming the tensions and renewing negotiations in order to end this conflict. Palestinians and Israelis alike owe it to their future generations.

The government of Israel deeply regrets the loss of lives, both Arab and Jewish. The Palestinian people are not the enemy. Rather, they are partners in this peace endeavor. Arms have to be laid down and the inflammatory rhetoric has to be buried. Peace should be given a chance.

The writer is an Israeli diplomat based in Singapore.