Are Israel and Hamas buying time for the next round?

 

West Palm Beach, Florida

November 25, 2012

 

Detached from a wider Arab-Israeli peace framework, the recently brokered cease-fire, between Hamas and Tel Aviv, stands on shaky grounds. Threats to this rushed settlement come from all sides. 

A day after basking in the glory of success in brokering a tough truce Egyptian President Morsi issued a decree to acquire immunity from the courts. Cairo street demonstrations are calling for Morsi to return to his senses. This is a fresh and clear indication that Egypt is too unstable to guarantee a tenuous truce between two parties who seem to have resorted to sign a peace document in order to buy time.

Hamas is exhausted from devastating air strikes and Israel is afraid to get bogged down in Gaza. The eyes of Jerusalem are focused on Tehran, perceived as the primary threat to Israel.

Within hours of the cease-fire announcement, the leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, bragged about the victory of the resistance and full readiness for future battles with the Jewish state.  He said:

"This is a round that will be followed by more rounds; the victory brings victory and the defeat brings defeat, and Israel has been defeated in Gaza twice."

Israel’s leaders emerged from this crisis with equally irritating, triumphal sentiments. Prime Minister Netanyahu warned the people of Gaza that his defense forces will return with a heavier blow if violence erupts again.

On either side, there seems to be no sign of change in attitude, learning from the past or attention paid to the political context which underlies the crisis: an occupation blocking the birth of a Palestinian state and leading Israel to perpetual insecurity.  

The Netanyahu government calls the West Bank by its Biblical name “Judea and Samaria”. Israel’s sense of entitlement to the land grows as the occupation lingers. Building of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem continues.  Despite their official pronouncements to the contrary, Israel’s current leaders do not believe in a two-state solution.

The cease-fire has no chance to survive for long in a climate of a moribund peace process. The language of the cease fire is left vague perhaps because neither side believes it is realistic.

A central feature of this shaky settlement is lifting the siege on Gaza to allow free “access of people and goods”. Will Israel open its borders to a party it insists on considering to be a terrorist organization?

Another crucial term in the agreement is the termination of Hamas’ smuggling of arms from Iran and elsewhere. Will Hamas stop secret import of arms while Israel threatens to attack Gaza any time in the future? Hamas has lost much of its arms and infrastructure; rearmament is expected in a position of high vulnerability.

An early break in the cease-fire is not expected; it would threaten the re-election of Netanyahu. Calm may prevail for two to three months to allow current leaders of this Israeli government to receive a new mandate for “disciplining” Iran and its allies, Hamas and Hezbollah. The next Israeli adventure is planned for Iran.

Three simultaneous developments are required to save the cease-fire and widen the chances of a regional peace:

First, the two rival Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fateh, must rush for unity to establish a common front for assertive peace negotiation with Israel.  The upcoming submission of an application for Palestinian non-member status in the United Nations Assembly, scheduled for November 29, may divert the efforts of the Palestinians and give Israel an excuse to undermine the Palestinian cause.

Second, a re-elected, more comfortable President Obama must take urgent steps to revive the Arab-Israeli peace process. By helping Egypt broker Gaza’s cease fire, it is imperative that Washington provide the appropriate context for achieving a wider peace

Third, Israel should start negotiating directly with Hamas, if it intends to address the interests of all the Palestinian people.

The Gaza cease-fire will soon atrophy if it remains in a narrow political context.

 

 

 

Expanding the power of interfaith dialogue

Expanding the power of interfaith dialogue by Ghassan Rubeiz 13 November 2012 Print Email Palm Beach Gardens, Florida - Last month, Muslims celebrated Eid ul-Adha, which marks the end of the pilgrimage to Mecca and is celebrated by Muslims around the world. This year numerous Muslim congregations used the opportunity to hold interfaith services. In fact, in recent years, many mosques, churches and synagogues have established sustained programs to cooperate on feeding the hungry, providing activities for youth and doing homeless outreach, among other work. Such interfaith activities have now become a mainstay in the United States and other countries. Today, our challenge as those who care about supporting tolerance is to engage individuals at a deeper and more sustained way. Education and media – two spheres that touch almost every member of our world community – are key to this engagement, and ensuring that our global community can spread tolerance, sharpen sensitivity to injustice and celebrate religious and cultural diversity. Institutions like the Vatican, the Cairo-based Al-Azhar University, the World Jewish Congress and the Geneva-based World Council of Churches have already engaged in efforts to foster tolerance by bringing together religious leaders of different faiths. Interfaith activities like these have significant merit. Through highlighting these activities in the media and taking lessons learned from them into schools, the value of such efforts can be deepened and broadened. Schools are where children acquire the skills and values necessary for responsible citizenship. Learning to get along with children of other religious and ethnic backgrounds is just as important as learning science, math and language, especially in a world where it seems misunderstandings all too often abound. In order to cultivate a more tolerant world, educators should begin to incorporate the principle of understanding those of different faiths more into curricula. Some schools are already beginning to do this. The Three Faiths Forum in the UK, for instance, links schools which have students of different faith backgrounds, building sustained relationships across religious lines. Tens of thousands of Arab students – who are potential leaders – have studied at the interfaith oriented American University of Beirut (AUB) and its high school, the International College. AUB’s success lies in an egalitarian philosophy of education, a social climate of diversity and teachers who come from diverse national and faith backgrounds. Like schools, the media is also crucial in shaping attitudes. Using media to highlight positive efforts will provide an opportunity for new audiences to learn about endeavours to promote religious tolerance and widen audiences’ perspectives. In his journalism and television reporting on different religions, journalist Bill Moyers has contributed immensely to the appreciation of all faiths. Krista Tippett’s inspiring On Being, a popular radio programme produced and distributed by American Public Media, examines diverse ways individuals grapple with “big questions” about ethics and faith. Such programmes encourage listeners to discover insight in unfamiliar faith traditions and help people find common ground. If those involved in interfaith efforts can broaden their focus to include engaging educators and media professionals, their work will be even more effective. Efforts to combat intolerance through education and media should continue for decades and can help institutionalise a global movement for tolerance. Today more than ever, we need sustained efforts to save the diverse, precious heritage of all faiths. ### * Ghassan Rubeiz is the former Secretary of the Middle East for the Geneva-based World Council of Churches. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews). Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 13 November 2012, www.commongroundnews.org Copyright permission is granted for publication. OTHER ARTICLES IN EDITION Supermarket is an unexpected arena for Israeli-Palestinian co-existence Civil society may hold key to peace in Pakistan OIC head talks religion and politics in Egypt British film festival looks at the Middle East beyond the headlines VIDEO OF THE WEEK Journeys of Belonging In this clip from the Journeys of Belonging video series, German-Muslim Asmaa Soliman describes the transition from letting others define her, to claiming her own identity. To read more about the series, click here. "I like the articles you distribute because they're not always safe. They move the discussion forward, they're not reiterative. They help me think in new ways about problems that really need solutions, problems that are not simple but complex." - Michael Wolfe, Unity Productions Foundation