by Bill Narvey

Two reports appearing in Ha’aretz, “PMO: New PA stance ‘flies in the face’ of international demands,” and, “Lieberman: Emergency Zionist coalition needed to counter PA,” read together, suggest that Israelis may be opening their eyes wider to reality. The first report offers the view that the new Palestinian unity government is a big step backwards from the peace process. The second reports that:

Minister for Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman has called for an emergency government to be formed comprising all Zionist parties, in an effort to counter the establishment of the new Palestinian unity government…

Included in this report on Lieberman’s proposed Zionist Unity government, are statements by MK Yuval Steinitz that the Olmert government torpedo the Palestinian unity government by a military incursion into Gaza to put a halt to the Palestinian arms buildup there. As well, MK Yisrael Katz of Likud has called for the GOI to break all ties and discussions with the Palestinians.

Whether one agrees or not with Lieberman, Steinitz and Katz, it is obvious they, as distinct from other Israeli politicians, are at least recognizing that the new Palestinian unity government has made things vis a vis Israel go from bad to worse and they are responding to that worsened situation.

Lieberman and others are now advocating that Israel’s attitudes, strategies and tactics for dealing with the Palestinians must change because the old ways and strategies of trying to deal with the Palestinians have not worked and peace is further away then ever.

The report regarding Lieberman’s running a Zionist Unity government up the flagpole, goes on to advise that the Israeli Left continues to advocate for negotiations with the Palestinians and that Meretz Chairman Yossi Bellan has stated that the new situation with the Palestinian unity government and the Saudi initiative, creates “a rare opportunity for a political breakthrough”.

The significance to Israel of the new Palestinian unity government, in terms of Israel seeking to pursue peace as before through negotiations, seems to be lost on the leftist political ideologues. As for Bellan’s views, what can one say, but shake their head and wonder what he has been smoking.

Ever since Hamas gained a hold on power over a year ago and engaged in more strident anti-Israel rhetoric, Israelis according to various opinion polls, have increasingly come to see their hopes for a negotiated Road Map directed two state peace settlement dimming.

In this same period, the Israeli Left continue to advocate that their way through negotiations is the only way Israel will ultimately make peace with Palestinians. The Israeli left-wing seems totally un-phased by their record of failure in their sticking to their way to peace through negotiations and yet, that is still all they offer Israelis as a peace solution to ending the Israel – Palestinian conflict.

With events continuing to worsen, first with Hamas’ election over a year ago, the Palestinian Prisoner Declaration unity agreement of the summer of 2006, then the unprovoked attack by the Palestinians and Hezbollah soon thereafter and now this new unity agreement between PLO/PA/Fatah and Hamas, that gives Hamas an even stronger upper hand, there has been growing disenchantment within the Israeli electorate.

In continuing to call for peace negotiations with Abbas, or some other Palestinian official who has no power to make any agreement in these circumstances, the Israeli Left is losing credibility. The Israeli public in turn are losing faith and hope in the Left’s blindered, old and tired views on how Israel can best achieve peace with the Palestinians.

This change in Israeli attitude has been growing for over a year now. In spite of generally great dissatisfaction with the Olmert government, Israeli opposition leaders have not done much if anything to bring about the government’s defeat and force elections for new leadership to come to the fore.

The call by Lieberman for a unity Zionist government may be a signal that dissatisfaction and resentment with the Olmert government’s policies, mistakes and weakness and with the political and insecure status quo vis a vis the Palestinians, have now reached critical mass within the Israeli electorate which is finally ready and willing for a change and to push for it.

Just what new policies a Zionist Unity government will institute for Israel’s security and
well-being, present and future, including whether such government would advocate a new direction for peace that sees Judea and Samaria permanently annexed as part of Israel and Palestinians being induced peacefully to leave the area as Lieberman previously proposed, will have to remain to be seen.

But that is getting ahead of where Israel is now at.

The first order of business is to see whether Lieberman is serious about what he is advocating, cuts loose from Olmert’s Kadima and can take a majority of MK’s with him in the new direction he is wanting to go.

If Lieberman holds true to his word, forms a new Zionist Unity party, sets Israel on a new path to peace, with new objectives in that regard and new policies and strategies through strength and not weakness, to achieve that end with a new peace paradigm that calls for Israel to re-gain ground previously conceded for Palestinian empty promises, that would indeed be a major and very welcome Israeli attitude adjustment and breakthrough into the realm of realities.

If all this comes to pass, Israelis may well have the Palestinians to thank, for it would be the Palestinian success at forming a unity government with Hamas at the helm more than anything, which finally would have brought Israel to her senses and enabled Israel to save herself from herself.

---

---

Related: Israel, Palestinians, Peace Process

---