Diabolic Digest
Talking
settlements
Abstract
After decades of war and confrontation
and years of trying to reach a lasting peace, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
has become a very complex issue to solve and one in which it is virtually
impossible to deal with each of the problems separately. Nevertheless, windows
of opportunity to ease the tension can be found. This study will explore how
the partial resolution of certain complex issues can provide the momentum for a
peaceful settlement of the conflict. Within the framework of this research,
Palestinian and Israeli interviewees give their views on the ongoing conflict
and on strategies to improve the situation.
Since the start of the al-Aqsa Intifada,
the conflict has taken another dive down into violence. As discussed in part 1,
Drifting apart, this new turn
for the worst is characterised by more suffering, so that both Palestinians and
Israelis feel that ‘it cannot get any worse’. The ‘untrustworthy other’ side,
especially the leadership, is blamed for all the violence and the setbacks in
the peace process. Nevertheless, there is a strong ‘will for reconciliation’
and, despite different ‘views on the future’, both Palestinians and Israelis
seem to have found a ‘common bęte-noir’ in the settlements.
In part 2, Views on settlements, it becomes clear that the settlements
are an integral part of Israeli politics and have a ‘long history’. Both the
security argument and Zionist ideology fuel the ‘ongoing construction’.
Nevertheless, not only Palestinians, but also the international community and,
more importantly, the Israelis raise numerous objections against the
settlements and see them as an obstacle to any peace agreement.
Thanks to this common stance – albeit for
different reasons – on settlements, it is possible to start thinking of the settlements
as a key to a lasting solution in part 3, Positive
unilateral steps. Recent peace initiatives, such as the ‘road map’,
have reiterated the objections to Israel’s settlement activity and the need to
implement a settlement freeze. However, these international proposals are
unable to ‘undo the Gordian knot’. What is most needed is to change the vicious
circle of violence and counter-violence into a virtuous one by taking measures
to reduce tension that are both ‘confidence building and in the self-interest’
of both sides. The strategy proposed is to withdraw from settlements that cause
most disturbance in the West Bank and Gaza, not as part of a comprehensive
agreement, but to reduce tension. The Palestinian and Israeli interviewees
suggest which settlements can be evacuated, point out the ‘stumbling blocks’
but also give ‘compelling arguments in favour’ of such action.
But the ultimate challenge is “not how to
devise means for persisting in trying to separate [Israelis and Palestinians]
but to see whether it is possible for them to live together fairly and
peacefully.”
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