A European Envoy's Wake-Up Call for Israel and Palestine
July 2, 2003by Miguel Angel Moratinos
The State of Israel hasjust celebrated 54 years of
existence. This is an irrefutablefact nobody should deny. Even those
countries that still refuseto recognize it officially confess off the
record and in privatetheir certainty that Israel is a political fait
accompli. Thisperception, clear to the Europeans, has not yet taken
hold inthe collective Israeli mind. The slogans of the past, the fears
and apprehensions of a tragic history remain indelibly stampedin its
subconscious. There is no doubt that the last two-and-a-halfyears have
not helped to lessen this feeling of a threatened existence. Suicide
attacks and terrorist violence have blindedIsraeli society and turned
its life into an ongoing nightmare.It is time for Israel and its
citizens to wake up and shake offtheir die-hard prejudices which
sometimes prevent them from perceivingreality with the necessary degree
of trust and objectivity. Manywill say these words are themselves
subjective, and indeed theya re, but they are voiced out of a deep
feeling of respect andadmiration for Israel and its people.
Wake up, Israel, and takepride in the achievements of 54 years of a democratic and pluraliststate in which Jews and Arab-Israelis have been able to liveand build together a modern framework of coexistence. Wake up,Israel, and recognize that your Palestinian neighbors, like youyourselves, need to realize their myth of founding a countryof their own, a national homeland, and that a viable and independentPalestinian state is your best guarantee of security. Wake up,Israel, and reckon that occupation of your neighbor is unsustainableboth politically and economically. Wake up, Israel, and offerhope to those who will share with you the future of your region.Israel cannot continue to develop as an oasis of prosperity surroundedby a desert of poverty.
Wake up, Israel, and do not always interpret action by the Europeans with distrust and suspicion. Europe is not anti-Israeli or, for that matter, anti-Semitic. Europe seeks and desires a more than privileged relationship with Israel. At times Europe raises its voice when, perhaps mistakenly, it states that it does not share the political line adopted by Israel. But Europe wishes to build with Israel a relationship which includes all the benefits of being a member state of the European Union without actually being one.
Wake up, Israel, and live the dream of a Middle East at peace, your region and your environment, and enjoy the political, economic and cultural integration of the Euro-Mediterranean family. Your people deserve a future of peace and prosperity. Do not isolate yourself by erecting walls that belong in the past and will not bring the security that you and your people are entitled to. Prepare yourself to be part of a region where borders would not prevent people from working together and exchanging goods, ideas and hopes.
Wake up, Israel, and acknowledge with serenity and a sense of justice that the settlements policy cannot bring a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict any closer. The viability of the Palestinian state and, ultimately, the security of the State of Israel depend on this.
Wake up, Israel, and look constructively at the involvement of the international community. The world might be wrong some of the time, but not all of the time. Most of the players on the international scene have a genuine desire to help and support Israel. Neither international law nor the United Nations was invented to inconvenience Israel. Israel, paradoxically, is the child of both.
Wake up, Israel, and recover the faith and the hope that peace is possible, that it is not a dream. It is not the idealistic vision of a few political visionaries. It is, by contrast, an urgent priority demanded and sought after by all Israeli citizens.
Wake up, Israel, and be confident in your future. There is no real threat to your demographic structure. The international community understands your legitimate concern when you speak about the "Jewish" nature of the State of Israel. Rest assured that the issue of the Palestinian refugees will be solved and that any solution will be agreed upon by the parties. Wake up, Israel, and treasure the Hebrew word shalom. Put it to the service of your people and your neighbors.
Wake up, Israel, and persuade yourself that everything you have lived through in recent years is only a tragic nightmare and live your richly deserved dream of peace, reconciliation and prosperity, with yourselves and with your neighbors.
WAKE UP, Palestine. There is a shared feeling of sympathy in the international community towards the continuing tragedy of the Palestinian people. Nobody denies that fact, not even your Israeli neighbors. Everybody understands that this situation must come to an end and that all the suffering and frustration should give way to a future of peace and hope. It is not my intention here to examine the causes that have drawn the conflict out for so long or to apportion blame on one side or the other. On the contrary, my aim is to highlight the actions and attitude which the Palestinians themselves should adopt, irrespective of the conduct and behavior of the "other side." Without denying the legitimacy of the Palestinians' case for feeling the "victims" of an international injustice, assuming the role of victims will not help them to emerge from the tragic situation they find themselves in. The Palestinians, because of the course of events, have grown accustomed to looking to "ot her people" for answers to their questions about their existence. To the "other-enemy" to challenge it over its policy of confrontation, to the "other-Arabs," blaming them for their disdain, indolence and lack of solidarity, to the "other-Americans," repudiated and appealed to without a sufficient sense of strategy, to the "other-Europeans," appreciated but used according to the whim or desire of "other people." This is the reason why Palestine should wake up from the nightmare it has been experiencing since the birth of its national cause and live at long last its just and deserved dream.
Wake up, Palestine, your greatest strength is the dignity and the conviction of your people that you will achieve your historical aspirations. Wake up, Palestine, and define once and for all a national, coherent and peaceful strategy. Suicide attacks and terrorism will not bring you nearer your goal of achieving a national homeland, your independent state; they serve only to denigrate your just cause. Do not let your sons destroy themselves for no reason, do not let them search for the paradise in the other world because each and every one of them is essential for building your paradise on earth here in the future Palestinian state.
Wake up, Palestine, seize the opportunities of economic and commercial integration in the region within the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, of which you are a founding member. Wake up, Palestine, and take a realistic look at your neighbor Israel. The awareness and wounds of the past must not prevent you from seeing the enormous potential which the future holds. Prepare to receive in the new Palestinian state your children, who were forced into exile. You will have the full support of the international community. Open your arms to them but do not close your eyes to reality. It is possible to be pragmatic and at the same time observe the principles of international law.
Wake up, Palestine, and bring an end to the internal wars and rivalries, the tactics of the past. The power struggle is logical and inevitable, but under no circumstances should it affect the future destiny of an entire society. Personal interests should be put aside for the benefit of the general interest of the whole nation. Wake up, Palestine, and present a final peace plan to your Israeli neighbors. Taba and the resolution of the Arab League in Beirut may be the basis for this agreement. It is not so difficult to draw a frontier on the basis of the 1967 line, together with territorial compensation. Wake up, Palestine, and regain faith in your people. Your civil society enterprising, educated, cultured and sophisticated justly demands priority. Your political and social model could be the most modern in the Middle East and a model for your neighbors.
Wake up, Palestine, accept your mistakes and summon up fresh energy. Look to the future with hope, do not despair and do not let your gaze be clouded by provocation or humiliation. Your great merit is your just cause and your dignity. Do not spoil them by unattainable maximalist positions. Defend principles and values. Support international law with political sense and a view to the future. With the support of your people, the reform process will bear the desired and merited fruit and will enable new generations to take up the challenges of the future through elections which should be held as soon as possible.
Wake up, Palestine, do not forget who your true friends are. Do not fall into the same trap as in the past. Remember those who did not abandon you even at the most difficult moments when your own survival was at stake. Strengthen your ties with Europe and respond to its professed desire to achieve with you a strategic relationship based on mutual respect and shared interests.
Wake up, Palestine, do not think that your supposed weakness forces you to accept the diktats of others. You too can set the agenda and decide who should take part in the new phase of negotiations. Without your approval there will be no negotiation. Assert your basic positions at moments of strategic importance. Respect your historical leaders and, in particular, your legitimate president, Yasser Arafat, and give full support to Prime Minister Abbas's government; each man within the scope of his responsibilities must lead your people to the end of the conflict with Israel.
The writer steps down today after seven years as the European Union Special Representative to the Middle East Peace Process. This article appears simultaneously in today's El-Quds, an Arabic language Jerusalem daily and the Jerusalem Post.
NOTES:
*Miguel Angel Moratinos recently stepped down as the European Union Special Representative to the Middle East Peace Process.
Source: The Jerusalem Post and Al Quds, July 2, 2003
Wake up, Israel, and takepride in the achievements of 54 years of a democratic and pluraliststate in which Jews and Arab-Israelis have been able to liveand build together a modern framework of coexistence. Wake up,Israel, and recognize that your Palestinian neighbors, like youyourselves, need to realize their myth of founding a countryof their own, a national homeland, and that a viable and independentPalestinian state is your best guarantee of security. Wake up,Israel, and reckon that occupation of your neighbor is unsustainableboth politically and economically. Wake up, Israel, and offerhope to those who will share with you the future of your region.Israel cannot continue to develop as an oasis of prosperity surroundedby a desert of poverty.
Wake up, Israel, and do not always interpret action by the Europeans with distrust and suspicion. Europe is not anti-Israeli or, for that matter, anti-Semitic. Europe seeks and desires a more than privileged relationship with Israel. At times Europe raises its voice when, perhaps mistakenly, it states that it does not share the political line adopted by Israel. But Europe wishes to build with Israel a relationship which includes all the benefits of being a member state of the European Union without actually being one.
Wake up, Israel, and live the dream of a Middle East at peace, your region and your environment, and enjoy the political, economic and cultural integration of the Euro-Mediterranean family. Your people deserve a future of peace and prosperity. Do not isolate yourself by erecting walls that belong in the past and will not bring the security that you and your people are entitled to. Prepare yourself to be part of a region where borders would not prevent people from working together and exchanging goods, ideas and hopes.
Wake up, Israel, and acknowledge with serenity and a sense of justice that the settlements policy cannot bring a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict any closer. The viability of the Palestinian state and, ultimately, the security of the State of Israel depend on this.
Wake up, Israel, and look constructively at the involvement of the international community. The world might be wrong some of the time, but not all of the time. Most of the players on the international scene have a genuine desire to help and support Israel. Neither international law nor the United Nations was invented to inconvenience Israel. Israel, paradoxically, is the child of both.
Wake up, Israel, and recover the faith and the hope that peace is possible, that it is not a dream. It is not the idealistic vision of a few political visionaries. It is, by contrast, an urgent priority demanded and sought after by all Israeli citizens.
Wake up, Israel, and be confident in your future. There is no real threat to your demographic structure. The international community understands your legitimate concern when you speak about the "Jewish" nature of the State of Israel. Rest assured that the issue of the Palestinian refugees will be solved and that any solution will be agreed upon by the parties. Wake up, Israel, and treasure the Hebrew word shalom. Put it to the service of your people and your neighbors.
Wake up, Israel, and persuade yourself that everything you have lived through in recent years is only a tragic nightmare and live your richly deserved dream of peace, reconciliation and prosperity, with yourselves and with your neighbors.
WAKE UP, Palestine. There is a shared feeling of sympathy in the international community towards the continuing tragedy of the Palestinian people. Nobody denies that fact, not even your Israeli neighbors. Everybody understands that this situation must come to an end and that all the suffering and frustration should give way to a future of peace and hope. It is not my intention here to examine the causes that have drawn the conflict out for so long or to apportion blame on one side or the other. On the contrary, my aim is to highlight the actions and attitude which the Palestinians themselves should adopt, irrespective of the conduct and behavior of the "other side." Without denying the legitimacy of the Palestinians' case for feeling the "victims" of an international injustice, assuming the role of victims will not help them to emerge from the tragic situation they find themselves in. The Palestinians, because of the course of events, have grown accustomed to looking to "ot her people" for answers to their questions about their existence. To the "other-enemy" to challenge it over its policy of confrontation, to the "other-Arabs," blaming them for their disdain, indolence and lack of solidarity, to the "other-Americans," repudiated and appealed to without a sufficient sense of strategy, to the "other-Europeans," appreciated but used according to the whim or desire of "other people." This is the reason why Palestine should wake up from the nightmare it has been experiencing since the birth of its national cause and live at long last its just and deserved dream.
Wake up, Palestine, your greatest strength is the dignity and the conviction of your people that you will achieve your historical aspirations. Wake up, Palestine, and define once and for all a national, coherent and peaceful strategy. Suicide attacks and terrorism will not bring you nearer your goal of achieving a national homeland, your independent state; they serve only to denigrate your just cause. Do not let your sons destroy themselves for no reason, do not let them search for the paradise in the other world because each and every one of them is essential for building your paradise on earth here in the future Palestinian state.
Wake up, Palestine, seize the opportunities of economic and commercial integration in the region within the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, of which you are a founding member. Wake up, Palestine, and take a realistic look at your neighbor Israel. The awareness and wounds of the past must not prevent you from seeing the enormous potential which the future holds. Prepare to receive in the new Palestinian state your children, who were forced into exile. You will have the full support of the international community. Open your arms to them but do not close your eyes to reality. It is possible to be pragmatic and at the same time observe the principles of international law.
Wake up, Palestine, and bring an end to the internal wars and rivalries, the tactics of the past. The power struggle is logical and inevitable, but under no circumstances should it affect the future destiny of an entire society. Personal interests should be put aside for the benefit of the general interest of the whole nation. Wake up, Palestine, and present a final peace plan to your Israeli neighbors. Taba and the resolution of the Arab League in Beirut may be the basis for this agreement. It is not so difficult to draw a frontier on the basis of the 1967 line, together with territorial compensation. Wake up, Palestine, and regain faith in your people. Your civil society enterprising, educated, cultured and sophisticated justly demands priority. Your political and social model could be the most modern in the Middle East and a model for your neighbors.
Wake up, Palestine, accept your mistakes and summon up fresh energy. Look to the future with hope, do not despair and do not let your gaze be clouded by provocation or humiliation. Your great merit is your just cause and your dignity. Do not spoil them by unattainable maximalist positions. Defend principles and values. Support international law with political sense and a view to the future. With the support of your people, the reform process will bear the desired and merited fruit and will enable new generations to take up the challenges of the future through elections which should be held as soon as possible.
Wake up, Palestine, do not forget who your true friends are. Do not fall into the same trap as in the past. Remember those who did not abandon you even at the most difficult moments when your own survival was at stake. Strengthen your ties with Europe and respond to its professed desire to achieve with you a strategic relationship based on mutual respect and shared interests.
Wake up, Palestine, do not think that your supposed weakness forces you to accept the diktats of others. You too can set the agenda and decide who should take part in the new phase of negotiations. Without your approval there will be no negotiation. Assert your basic positions at moments of strategic importance. Respect your historical leaders and, in particular, your legitimate president, Yasser Arafat, and give full support to Prime Minister Abbas's government; each man within the scope of his responsibilities must lead your people to the end of the conflict with Israel.
The writer steps down today after seven years as the European Union Special Representative to the Middle East Peace Process. This article appears simultaneously in today's El-Quds, an Arabic language Jerusalem daily and the Jerusalem Post.
NOTES:
*Miguel Angel Moratinos recently stepped down as the European Union Special Representative to the Middle East Peace Process.
Source: The Jerusalem Post and Al Quds, July 2, 2003