Netanyahu crisis a potential boon

The Netanyahu crisis is a potential boon not just to peace in the Middle East but to the political life of Israel itself. The Bar-on affair is surreally trivial. But the resignation of Benjamin Netanyahu, if it were to lead either to a Labor victory in the subsequent election or to a national unity government, would greatly improve the prospects of forging a durable settlement.

Impelled by the U.S. and the prior existence of the Palestinian authority, the Netanyahu government has been a reluctant partner in driving the peace process forward. But the climate has been one of deep distrust and bitter recrimination. This is partly because of Netanyahu's aggressive style; but it is more a function of his seriously misguided policy of accompanying every negotiation with a threat and every concession with a sop to the extremists upon whom his coalition depends. The Har Homa settlement in Jerusalem is only the latest in a catalog of policies designed to antagonize moderate Arab and Palestinian opinion.

It is easy to blame Netanyahu. But the fault lies with his public which, having elected the Rabin government to negotiate peace, then refused (very narrowly) last year to reelect its successor, under Shimon Perez, to complete the job. Given Netanyahu's preelection rhetoric, the only surprise is that he has gone as far as he has in dealing with Yasser Arafat.

Netanyahu's election is easily explicable. In the aftermath of Palestinian terrorist outrages, his offer of "security with peace" was more attractive to middle-Israeli opinion than Perez's "peace with security". But a year of Netanyahu imperiling peace by appeasing his extremists should have reconciled middle opinion to the serious peacemakers.

The irony is that before this crisis, Netanyahu was preparing to forge a national unity government. It was clear to him that progress in the final status talks with the Palestinians could not otherwise be achieved. He was right: a Likud-Labor coalition is the best hope of carrying a large popular majority behind the concessions necessary to reach final agreement with the Palestinians. But Labor can hardly support Netanyahu now, even without the prosecution; so the sooner he makes way, the better.

-- Observer, London