Israel Matzav

The Conflict in a Nutshell

Far from accepting the idea that Arab sovereignty in the land must content itself with the putative Palestinian state currently ruled by the Hamas-dominated Palestinian Authority, their implicit demand is that Israel — and not just the West Bank and Gaza — must be purged of its specific Jewish identity if they are to be satisfied.

For all of the talk of co-existence, the conflict is, even in the eyes of these Arab moderates, still a zero-sum game, in which the Arabs lose as long as the Jewish state lives.

That also means that even if Olmert's scheme for separation is completed, that will still leave a potentially hostile Arab minority within Israel's borders. Can they be satisfied with business development projects when it is still the fundamental issues of identity that are at stake?

Those thinking that a restful peace lies just beyond the next round of "disengagement" will have to have an answer to that question, lest they doom Israel and its friends to further disillusionment. Unfortunately, on even the sunniest days in Israel, it can take only an hour or two for even a bright glimmer of hope to be overshadowed by rancor.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:53 PM