By Ori Nir, Special to JTNews
Ketchup, anyone? It might come in handy for the perpetually pessimistic pundits as they eat their hats after predicting a fiasco in Annapolis. Not only did the peace conference not fail, its results were much above expectations. The meeting in Annapolis not only kicked off the moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process, but produced an agreed agenda, an agreed mechanism, and an agreed time goal for a negotiating process that is aimed at resolving the conflict once and for all.
Sure, the proof of the conference’s commitments will be in the follow-up process. But every process has to start somewhere. And as a first step toward resuming negotiations that have been dormant for the past seven years, Annapolis was a resounding success. It set the tracks for the train to depart and provided the sense of a fresh start.
Naysayers seemed happy to bury the conference before it was even born by trivializing it as a mere photo-op. Those who did so don’t understand the dynamics of Mideast peace efforts. Nobody expected Annapolis to bring peace now. But an element of drama is essential for successfully relaunching a credible Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
Earlier this year, Israelis and Palestinians marked 40 years since the occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. On December 9, they will mark 20 years since the outbreak of the eruption of the first intifada.
It may be hard to believe, but most Palestinians and Israelis were not around 20 years ago, let alone 40 years ago. Most Israelis and Palestinians have only experienced a relationship of bloody conflict.
Consider the following figures: 51.3 percent of the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are 20 years or younger. That means that more than half of the Palestinians in these territories were born into a milieu of on-again-off-again warfare with Israel. The overwhelming majority of the Palestinian population, 80.3 percent, is younger than 40, which means that four out of every five Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza have lived their entire lives under Israeli occupation.
Israel’s population is older, but taking into account the 1,010,900 immigrants from the former Soviet Union who have arrived in the past 17 years, official Israeli data shows that 52 percent of Israelis were not alive 24 years ago (there are no available data for 1967) and 84 percent were not alive 44 years ago.
Young people on both sides who have been socialized within the reality of ongoing armed conflict, have come to accept stalemate as chronic, unavoidable and, worse, irreversible. They have come to accept an adversarial relationship as normal, as default.
Recent polls of Israelis and Palestinians show that although majorities in both societies support a two-state solution, majorities of the same proportions think this desired solution is unattainable. An Israeli poll taken the day before the Annapolis summit showed that two-thirds of Israeli Jews support a two-state solution but that two-thirds also don’t believe that Israel will reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians in our generation. Scarred by a generation of alienation and violence, both societies are awash with hatred and vengeance. Both are cynical. Many in both societies have despaired of ever living in peace with the other.
Changing the mindset of two populations will require a reversal in attitudes and values. It will take dedication and commitment over a long period of time as well as some inspiring drama.
Annapolis supplied Israelis and Palestinians with a commitment, from their leaders, from the U.S. president, and from the entire world to work hard for peace. With due drama, it offered a horizon. Getting there will be extremely difficult, but at least there is hope. The main headline of Israel’s largest circulation daily Yediot Achronot on Nov. 28 was “A New Beginning.”
If the gathering of Israeli, Arab and world leaders to commit themselves to peace is a “mere photo-op,” then so be it. If the choice is between the miserable, destructive Israeli-Palestinian status quo and a hyped drama in Annapolis that may contribute to changing that status quo, isn’t the latter better?
Ori Nir is the spokesman for Americans for Peace Now.