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April 15, 2005
Seizing Mideast moment
Former negotiator believes American support is key.
PAT JOHNSON
The Middle East conflict stands at a moment of immense opportunity,
according to the United States negotiator for the Clinton and first
Bush administrations, but the moment could be easily lost.
Dennis Ross, who spoke Sunday night at an event organized by the
Ohel Ya'akov Community Kollel, was the lead U.S. negotiator during
the 1995 interim agreement, the 1997 Hebron Accord and several other
pivotal moments in the peace process.
"There's a reality out there that everybody thinks it is better
than it is," Ross said of the state of Israeli-Palestinian
relations. In fact, the former diplomat said, there is little more
than optimism currently in the situation and he said his own country
holds the key to a peaceful future.
"If the U.S. administration does not play a more active role,
the moment will be lost," he said, adding later: "Whenever
you have a moment in the Middle East and you lose it, you're always
worse off."
The moment, as Ross put it, has presented itself because of the
death of Yasser Arafat and because of Ariel Sharon's disengagement
plan. Opinion polls among Palestinians, Ross said, show a groundswell
of optimism since Arafat's death. Though most Palestinians seem
to have admired Arafat, they have come to acknowledge he was not
leading them toward peace or security, Ross said.
"Yes, he was an icon," Ross said of Arafat, "but
he gave them a past and no future."
The new Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, has a strong popular
consensus to strive for peace and stability, the ambassador said,
but he does not have consensus on critical issues like the future
of Jerusalem and Palestinian refugees. Abbas needs time to build
and solidify his support and he should not be judged too quickly
on his efforts to reform the Palestinian governance system, Ross
said. But there are steps that must be taken immediately, he insisted.
No common understanding exists between the Israelis and the Palestinians
on the definition of any major disputed issue, Ross said. For example,
the American-brokered peace initiatives included an agreement to
freeze all Israeli settlement growth in the West Bank and Gaza "including
natural growth," he said. The Israelis have interpreted this
in a most liberal fashion, he said, while the Palestinians have
unique interpretations of definitions like securing a ceasefire
and dismantling terrorist operations.
What worried Ross particularly on a recent trip to the region was
that Gaza is now filled with young men with nothing to do. Though
Gaza has suffered from disastrous economic conditions for decades,
the current situation – in which per capita income has fallen
by almost 50 per cent in five years – holds the potential to
become a tinderbox of unrest if unemployment and dissatisfaction
are not funnelled into some kind of healthy outlet, said Ross –
like construction.
"Palestinians were the backbone of the Israeli construction
industry," Ross said. "They know how to build." He
cited examples of Arab-funded community construction projects and
wondered why so little infrastructure is currently being created.
There is $1.2 billion in international aid pledged to the Palestinian
Authority, but Ross argued that more money is needed – and
faster. He proposed the Arab oil-producing nations increase their
involvement in Palestinian development by allocating some of their
recent windfall profits from rising oil prices.
"I went on Al-Jazeera [television] and I said, 'I'm not greedy,
I want one per cent for the Palestinians,' " said Ross. "If
you care about the Palestinians, then do something about it."
Ross's visit to Vancouver coincided with the release of his book,
The Missing Peace. But it was also the keynote address of
a significant local event. Prior to Ross's presentation, the Kollel,
a five-year-old yeshivah-style education organization headed by
Rabbi Avraham Feigelstock, marked the completion and dedication
of a sefer Torah dedicated to the memory of Jack Diamond.
Rabbi Marvin Hier, a former rabbi of Vancouver's Schara Tzedeck
Synagogue and now the dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in Los
Angeles, came back to the city for the dedication. He called the
late Diamond a "dear friend and mentor." Hier shared humorous
recollections of his time in Vancouver, fondly recalling the unflinching
support of the Diamond family, Abe Wosk and others. The event took
place on the yahrzeit of Diamond and the evening included presentations
form Diamond's son, Charles, and granddaughter, Jill.
Pat Johnson is a B.C. journalist and commentator.
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