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Opinion | Bennett, follow Begin Israel today

2022-05-11T07:00:56.043Z


The sky will not fall if the two leaderships, the Israeli and the Palestinian, send one message, perhaps even common, to the two peoples • Not only as a condemnation of violence on the one hand or in response to action on the other, but a stand-alone message


The citizens of the State of Israel are going through a difficult, exhausting and painful period.

So are the residents of the Palestinian Authority.

These are days of violence and terrorism, of military activity, of political and security instability.

Not something we have yet to experience, though.

We are accustomed to such periods.

But the time has come for both sides to demand from the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships a new approach.

On both sides the feeling is of mutual threat, great distrust.

The era in which Jews can roam freely in Jenin or Nablus has passed away.

We have already forgotten that there once was.

But even for Palestinians from Gaza or Hebron, it is not easy to get around in Tel Aviv, Haifa or Netanya.

There is no doubt that violence needs to be fought hard.

There is no plausible logic, and no conscience, that gets hurt by innocents.

But as much as things seem impossible when "blood is boiling", it is permissible and necessary to require the leadership to strive for something that is a little more than "confidence" and "stability".

I'm talking about a message of reconciliation.

Even before the words "negotiation" - not to mention peace - are even brought to the lips - and even before one begins to think in terms of the "series", the sky will not fall if the two leaderships send one message, perhaps even common, to the two peoples.

Not just as a condemnation of violence on the one hand or in response to action on the other, but a message in its own right that might calm the atmosphere and save the next victim.

No one is clearing the Palestinian leadership of its failures, but even Israelis who oppose the withdrawals and concessions know that the Palestinians' responsibility for their fate is limited.

An Israeli defense minister can have more influence than the chairman of the Palestinian Authority, and the coordinator of government operations in the territories sometimes has more control over what happens than the PA prime minister. That the current government will not address the disputed issues, including resolving the conflict, only adding to the sediment of the conflict and resentment between the peoples.

But it was two leaders who came from the right - Menachem Begin and Ariel Sharon - who showed courage in unexpected moments, let alone leaders who are identified with the peace camp, such as Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres.

In fact, there is hardly an Israeli leader in the last generation who has not at some point come to the realization that reconciliation must be sought.

It sounds a bit imaginary, maybe even defiant, in the current atmosphere.

But these are exactly the days when peoples yearn for a leadership that will produce a conciliatory message.

One can start with a small step: one common picture of the two leaders.

The Palestinian leadership does not usually refuse meetings and dialogue.

It now depends more than anything on Prime Minister Bennett.

One meeting.

One picture.

It can change reality - for the better.

Were we wrong?

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Source: israelhayom

All news articles on 2022-05-11

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