PA President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli President Shimon Peres in 2008 (AP)
"We should also not get confused. There is major correlation between the principal objectives of Israel and the United States: reaching real peace between Israel and the Arab world, stabilizing the Middle East and restraining the extreme forces that thrive on violence, subversion and terrorism."How do you see Israel moving forward on the Arab-Israeli conflict? What are the main opportunities and challenges to resolving the conflict? How do you asses the Israeli and Palestinian publics’ willingness to support movement forward on the peace process?
The Israeli public has already proved that it is willing to pay a painful price for peace when it is convinced that true peace is at stake and that Israeli security would not be harmed. I believe that this will be the state of things when we reach decision time regarding a peace agreement with the Palestinians. The firing of Qassam rockets from Gaza by Hamas after we fully evacuated the Strip raised difficult questions for many Israelis.
We cannot ignore the fact that the Palestinian side is both ideologically and geographically divided. The challenge in my view is to establish a reliable peace process that strengthens the inclination toward peace on the Palestinian side and plants a sense of security in the hearts of Israelis. There is need to create true hope: a political horizon and meaningful improvement in daily life that will encourage most Palestinians in abandoning the destructive alternative offered by Hamas. After all, Israel needs a Palestinian negotiation partner that can abide by its commitments, especially in the realm of security. At the same time, it is possible to involve the Arab world so that it can prove that it is heading toward recognition and normal peaceful relations with Israel.
Do you support the effort to approach the Arab-Israeli conflict comprehensively? Can Israel move forward with both Syria and the Palestinians simultaneously?
The geopolitical reality in the Middle East is full of risks, but it is not lacking in opportunities. Many in the Arab world now understand that the threat to them does not stem from Israel, but from radical Islam and, first and foremost, from Iran’s subversion and efforts to obtain nuclear weapons. In this context, the advantage of a comprehensive regional approach to solving the Arab-Israeli conflict gains even more merit. This approach is good for everybody, including Israel, since the price we would pay on the bilateral level would be remunerated by the whole Arab world. After all, our basic objective is to live in true and stable peace with the entire Arab world. This approach is also good for the Palestinian peace camp because it will be granted broad Arab legitimacy that would make it easier to move toward a historic compromise and to isolate Hamas and marginalize it. I believe that through wise diplomatic architecture it is indeed possible to promote peace with all of our neighbors without pre-conditions and without conditioning one track on another.
At the Arab League conference in March, the Arab Peace Initiative was reiterated, but some countries wanted to give it an expiration date. King Abdullah of Jordan also focused on the Initiative in his visit to Washington two weeks ago. What role can the Arab Peace Initiative play and will Israel accept it?
Israel was positively impressed by the spirit of the Initiative but, as it was not a party to its wording, it is unrealistic to expect Israel to accept and agree to every word. With that said, we cannot ignore the ideological u-turn the Arab world has made. The change is evident if we compare the language of the Initiative to the Arab world’s decision in Khartoum in 1967 in which the “three nos” were declared: no to peace with Israel, no to negotiations and no to recognition. Today the no has been replaced with a yes. Yes to peace with Israel, yes to normal relations, and yes to security and to good neighborly relations. I believe it is worthwhile to leverage the positive spirit of the Arab Peace Initiative to assist in a regional peace process.
Do you think there is an explicit link between dealing with Iran and resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict?
The concerns of the people of Israel for their security are real. The 61 years of Israel’s existence have been a continuous saga of battling for our existence against violent elements that don’t hide their goal of wiping Israel of the map. The people of Israel are proponents of peace and are willing to pay a heavy price in exchange, as long as the peace would be true peace and that Israel’s security would be maintained. Arab-Israeli peace entails Israel taking security risks. It is clear, therefore, that removing the Iranian threat would alleviate significantly the concern of the Israeli public for its security and would thus help reach regional reconciliation. Iran was a peaceful state in the past and we hope it will be so in the future.
Some have been writing about an inevitable showdown between the Obama administration and the Netanyahu government. How do you assess the relationship?
The friendship between the United States and Israel is very deep and built on a strong common and principled foundation. Whoever tries to explain the unique relations between the two nations through cold calculation of interests is mistaken and misleading. Interests change yet the shared morals and spirit common to both nations is a permanent reality which has deep and unparalleled roots. We should also not get confused. There is major correlation between the principal objectives of Israel and the United States: reaching real peace between Israel and the Arab world, stabilizing the Middle East and restraining the extreme forces that thrive on violence, subversion and terrorism. Against this backdrop, I don’t anticipate a showdown between Washington and Jerusalem, but rather fruitful cooperation. We don’t doubt President Obama’s desire to promote peace in the Middle East and we don’t doubt his deep friendship with Israel.
