Tornado Alley (PROG)

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A clear path to peace ..

10 years on, with so much barbarism behind, with changes in power structures and in world-wide public perception
and sentiment, one would think sooner or later some more justice and more common sense might prevail .. hope so ..

The outlines of an agreement are obvious, but both sides need to show humility and compassion for the other
August 31, 2010|By Ben Barber

The impending restart of peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis here in Washington Thursday calls to mind the many opportunities that slipped through the fingers of peacemakers in the past. What is essential now is to avert the mistakes of those talks — especially the pride and haggling that dragged down hopes of millions of people for a better and peaceful life.

I was sitting in the front row in Sharm el Sheikh on Oct. 16, 2000, when President Bill Clinton came out for a press conference, flanked by Ehud Barak for Israel and Yasser Arafat for the Palestinians. The signs of defeat were apparent. Only Mr. Clinton spoke, and he took no questions. Messrs. Barak and Arafat sat in silence, the failure of the last-ditch efforts of the United States lying in the dust at their feet. The second intifada had begun two weeks earlier and would kill 5,000 Palestinians and 1,000 Israelis.

Why can't the two sides finish the conflict that began in 1948?

When you talk to people in Ramallah and Ramle, in Jericho and Jerusalem, there is an overwhelming agreement on the shape of an agreement:

•The West Bank and Gaza go to the Palestinians;

•Large Israeli settlements adjacent to Israel go to Israel in exchange for an equal slice of land;

•The Old City of Jerusalem is open to all faiths and nationalities, under international supervision;

•Arab refugees from 1948 and 1967 get monetary restitution but resettlement limited to the West Bank;

• Palestinians recognize Israel and agree to halt all attacks against it;

•Cooperation is pledged between both sides on patrolling Jordan Valley and Gaza borders.

But despite near-universal agreement on these issues, peace has remained elusive. The missing element on both sides has been humility, and (ironically for two nations whose religions seek mercy and compassion) mercy and compassion.

The first thing that needs to be said by both sides at the new talks is: "I am sorry. We are sorry. Personally and collectively, we failed to stop the fighting and the hostility. We wasted the lives and energies and the futures of our peoples in a senseless struggle that could have been averted."

The second thing that needs to be said is: "Let's forgive each other. Accept my
apologies and forgive me. Please. We need to forgive each other and start over."

http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-08-31/news/bs-ed-mideast-20100831_1_peace-talks-palestinians-ramallah