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Israelis and Palestinians Contemplate Future

With the passing of Yasser Arafat, and the election of Mahmoud Abbas as the new Palestinian Authority President, there is growing hope that the change in leadership will jumpstart new talks, and usher in a new era of progress between the Israelis and Palestinians. Israeli Prime Minister, Arial Sharon, had long refused to work with Arafat, whom Sharon accused of continuing to support terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens. Given the bitter feelings between Sharon and Arafat, it was speculated that relations could only improve with the new Palestinian leadership of President Abbas.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas

Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, was named as chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) after Yasser Arafat died in November 2004. On January 2005 he decisively won in the election for president of the Palestinian Authority.

However, the honeymoon for Abbas was over before it started when, in response to another attack against Israelis, Sharon broke off all contact with the Palestinian Authority just days before Abbas was to take over as President.

Abbas quickly dispatched police and security personal to rein in the militants and end the attacks. He has been negotiating with the various militant factions to stop the violence, and therefore deny Israel an excuse for continuing occupation of Palestinian territory.

His efforts appear to be working, and have been acknowledged by Sharon, who has re-established diplomatic contacts with the Palestinians, and is now showing cautious optimism that the atmosphere for negotiations and peace is improving.

We are monitoring recent developments in the Palestinian Authority with great interest, and it seems that there is a positive approach there regarding the war on terrorism and advancing the diplomatic process,” Sharon said.

I believe that the conditions have been created which will enable us and the Palestinians to reach a historic breakthrough in relations between us, a breakthrough which would lead us towards quiet and security and – in the future – even the hoped-for peace,” Sharon said

The relative calm from Palestinian attacks has been reciprocated by a decrease in Israeli military operations into the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

For now, one peace offering Sharon is not willing to make is a mass release of Palestinian prisoners. His rationale is that many of those held have attacked Israelis, and will not be allowed to do so again.

We are prepared to go far, we are prepared to make concessions, but in one area we will not make concessions – in the area of security for the State of Israel and its citizens.”

For his own part, Abbas is considered by many to be a pragmatic who has denounced terrorism and military conflict with Israel as essentially futile, recognizing that the Israelis retain military superiority. “The only way is the choice of peace. It is impossible to liberate Palestine with the use of weapons because the balance of power is not with us,” Abbas said.

Many difficult issues remain to be discussed between the two Middle Eastern neighbors, some more contentious than others.

Israeli Prime Minister Arial Sharon.

One of the thorniest issues to be resolved is the matter of the Palestinian ‘right-of-return’, in which many Palestinians who were originally displaced by the creation of Israel demand the right to return to their old properties in what has now been Israeli territory for decades. According to Abbas, the ‘right-of-return’ is very important to the Palestinian people, even if figuring out the logistical details comes later. “Everyone should first be granted the right of return, but then we have to sit down and discuss the details that have to be jointly agreed upon and mutually acceptable to both sides.”

There is also the massive wall that Israel has been building to keep Palestinian suicide bombers from entering Israel by evading checkpoints. However, Palestinians protest that the wall has been built into what they had hoped to negotiate as their territory, and accuse the Israelis of attempting a pre-emptive land grab before final negotiations are held.

Perhaps the most contentious issues is the matter of Jerusalem. The Palestinians have some of their holiest shrines there, the al-Haram al-Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary, house to Al Aqsa and the Dome of the Rock mosques. The Palestinians have long insisted that East Jerusalem will be the capital of their future sovereign state.

This same site is known to Jews as Temple Mount, and is sacred to the Israelis. The West wall of the Temple Mount is said to be what was left of Solomon's original Temple after it was destroyed. They insist that Jerusalem will remain undivided, and in their control.

Peace has never come easy to the region, and years of animosity and violence make trust and forgiveness difficult for both sides to maintain.

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