[Ha'aretz] Ari Shavit - The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not about the occupation. If it were, it would have erupted in 1967 and not in 1920. The only way to peace is by means of true mutual recognition. Peace will not be achieved without Israeli recognition of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian nation-state, and without Palestinian recognition of the Jewish people and the Jewish nation-state. Israel has recognized the Palestinian people and agreed to the establishment of a Palestinian state. However, in no case - neither at Oslo, Camp David or Annapolis - did the Palestinians go a parallel distance. To this day they do not recognize the Jewish people, its rights or its nation-state. In the summer of 2008, Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, made Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas an unprecedented peace proposal. However, Abbas did not accept Olmert's offer. He rejected out of hand the principle of dividing the country into two nation-states. It is out of the question for Israel to recognize the Palestinian people's right of self-determination in advance, while the Palestinians refuse to recognize the Jewish people's right of self-determination. That asymmetry will not lead to peace. In this specific case Netanyahu is right. On this issue of principle he is expressing the firm opinion of the Israeli majority.
2009-04-23 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive