Colonization of Palestine precludes peace
By Jimmy Carter

Colonization of Palestine precludes peace
By Jimmy Carter

For more than a quarter century, Israeli policy has been in conflict
with that of the United States and the international community.
Israel's occupation of Palestine has obstructed a comprehensive peace
agreement in the Holy Land, regardless of whether Palestinians had no
formalized government, one headed by Yasser Arafat or Mahmoud Abbas, or
with Abbas as president and Hamas controlling the parliament and
cabinet.

The unwavering U.S. position since Dwight Eisenhower's administration
has been that Israel's borders coincide with those established in 1949,
and since 1967, the universally adopted UN Resolution 242 has mandated
Israel's withdrawal from the occupied territories. This policy was
reconfirmed even by Israel in 1978 and 1993, and emphasized by all
American presidents, including George W. Bush. As part of the Quartet,
including Russia, the UN and the European Union, he has endorsed a
"road map" for peace. But Israel has officially rejected its basic
premises with patently unacceptable caveats and prerequisites.

With Israel's approval, The Carter Center has monitored all three
Palestinian elections. Supervised by a blue-ribbon commission of
college presidents and distinguished jurists, they have all been
honest, fair and peaceful, with the results accepted by winners and
losers.

Hamas will control the cabinet and prime minister's office, but Mahmoud
Abbas retains all authority and power exercised by Yasser Arafat. He
still heads the PLO, the only Palestinian entity recognized by Israel,
and could deal with Israeli leaders under this umbrella, independent of
Hamas control. He has unequivocally endorsed the Quartet's road map.
Post-election polls show that 80 percent of Palestinians still want a
peace agreement with Israel and nearly 70 percent support Abbas as
president.

Israel has announced a policy of isolating and destabilizing the new
government (perhaps joined by the United States). The elected officials
will be denied travel permits and workers from isolated Gaza barred
from entering Israel, and every effort is being made to block funds to
Palestinians. The Quartet's special envoy, James Wolfensohn, has
proposed that donors assist the Palestinian people without violating
anti-terrorism laws that prohibit funds from being sent directly to
Hamas.

In the short run, the best approach is to follow Wolfensohn's advice,
give the dust a chance to settle in Palestine and await the outcome of
Israel's election later this month. Hamas wishes now to consolidate its
political gains, maintain domestic order and stability, and refrain
from any contacts with Israel. It will be a tragedy - especially for
the Palestinians - if they promote or condone terrorism.

The preeminent obstacle to peace is Israel's colonization of Palestine.
There were just a few hundred settlers in the West Bank and Gaza when I
became president, but the Likud government expanded settlement activity
after I left office. President Ronald Reagan condemned this policy, and
reaffirmed that Resolution 242 remained "the foundation stone of
America's Middle East peace effort." President George H.W. Bush even
threatened to reduce American aid to Israel.

Although President Bill Clinton made strong efforts to promote peace, a
massive increase of settlers occurred during his administration, to
225,000, mostly while Ehud Barak was prime minister. Their best
official offer to the Palestinians was to withdraw 20 percent of them,
leaving 180,000 in 209 settlements, covering about 5 percent of the
occupied land.

The 5 percent figure is grossly misleading, with surrounding areas
taken or earmarked for expansion, roadways joining settlements with
each other and to Jerusalem, and wide arterial swaths providing water,
sewage, electricity and communications. This intricate honeycomb
divides the entire West Bank into multiple fragments, often
uninhabitable or even unreachable. Recently, Israeli leaders have
decided on unilateral actions without involving either the United
States or the Palestinians, with withdrawal from Gaza as the first
step. As presently circumscribed and isolated, without access to the
air, sea or the West Bank, Gaza is a nonviable economic and political
entity.

The future of the West Bank is equally dismal. Especially troublesome
is Israel's construction of huge concrete dividing walls in populated
areas and high fences in rural areas - located entirely on Palestinian
territory and often with deep intrusions to encompass more land and
settlements. The wall is designed to surround a truncated Palestine
completely, and a network of exclusive highways will cut across what is
left of Palestine to connect Israel with the Jordan River Valley.

This will never be acceptable either to Palestinians or to the
international community, and will inevitably precipitate increased
tension and violence within Palestine, and stronger resentment and
animosity from the Arab world against America, which will be held
accountable for the plight of the Palestinians.

Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and others pointed out years ago that
Israel's permanent occupation will be increasingly difficult as the
relative number of Jewish citizens decreases demographically both
within Israel and in Palestine. This is obvious to most Israelis, who
also view this dominant role as a distortion of their ancient moral and
religious values. Over the years, opinion polls have consistently shown
that about 60 percent of Israelis favor withdrawing from the West Bank
in exchange for permanent peace. Similarly, an overwhelming number of
both Israelis and Palestinians want a durable two-state solution.

Casualties have increased during the past few years as the occupying
forces imposed tighter controls. From September 2000 until March 2006,
3,982 Palestinians and 1,084 Israelis were killed in the conflict, and
this includes many children: 708 Palestinians and 123 Israelis.

There is little doubt that accommodation with the Palestinians can
bring full Arab recognition of Israel and its right to live in peace.
Any rejectionist policies of Hamas or any terrorist group will be
overcome by an overall Arab commitment to restrain further violence and
to promote the well-being of the Palestinian people.

Down through the years, I have seen despair and frustration evolve into
optimism and progress and, even now, we need not give up hope for
permanent peace for Israelis and freedom and justice for Palestinians
if three basic premises are honored:

1. Israel's right to exist - and to live in peace - must be recognized
and accepted by Palestinians and all other neighbors;

2. The killing of innocent people by suicide bombs or other acts of
violence cannot be condoned; and

3. Palestinians must live in peace and dignity, and permanent Israeli
settlements on their land are a major obstacle to this goal.

[Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter led The Carter Center/National
Democratic Institute observation of the Palestinian elections in
January.]

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/695187.html