BRINGING the ISRAELIS and PALESTINIANS BACK from the BRINK: By The Hon. Lee H. Hamilton With Introduction

Former U.S. Congressman Lee Hamilton, Director of the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars

The Hon. Lee Hamilton served in the House of Represesentatives from Indiana for 17 terms until 1999. He chaired the Select Committee on Intelligence and served on the Committee on Foreign Affairs. He is now the Director of the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars in Washington, D.C. Because of this, he is uniquely qualified to write about Israel and Palestine.

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The escalation of violence between Israel and the Palestinians presents a critical and difficult challenge for American foreign policy. The conflict is threatening to destabilize moderate Arab governments, disrupt global oil supplies, weaken international support for the war on terrorism, and spiral out of control — possibly leading to a broader war in the Middle East. The United States must make a sustained, all-out push for a cessation of violence and a return to serious peace talks.

The two sure things in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are that it will not be resolved by force and that its resolution requires sustained U.S. intervention. Everyone — from the Israelis and Palestinians to European and Arab leaders — looks to the U.S. to set the agenda and push the parties toward a comprehensive agreement.

Until this month, President Bush was reluctant to become deeply involved in the conflict because he did not want a major diplomatic initiative to fail. But his recent bold and forward-looking statements, and his dispatching of Secretary of State Powell to the region, have placed the U.S. back at the center of efforts to resolve the conflict. Bush has laid out an inspiring vision of Middle East peace, grounded in the end of violence, the establishment of a Palestinian state, and Arab acceptance of Israel. The challenge now is to fill in the details of that vision and get the Israelis, Palestinians, and Arab countries to agree to them.

The U.S. must work with Europe and friendly Arab nations to mobilize international support for a new peace effort that seeks not only to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but also to achieve a broad regional peace between Israel and all of its Arab neighbors. The outlines of a settlement, involving at heart an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories in exchange for peace and security, are already fairly clear. As in many policy problems, it is not the destination that is most at issue, but how to get there.

To make progress, a cease-fire must be linked to confidence-building measures and a resumption of peace negotiations — so that Israelis can feel safe and Palestinians and their Arab supporters can have confidence that they are moving towards a viable Palestinian state. The U.S. must press the Israelis and Palestinians to take concrete actions to reduce the violence and develop a measure of trust. The Palestinian leadership must condemn terrorism and extremism in the strongest terms and work with Israel to crack down on terrorist networks. Israel must withdraw its military forces from Palestinian territories, ease restrictions on Palestinian movement, and stop expanding settlements.

Once the violence has abated and confidence-building measures have begun, negotiations should aim to reach agreement on the most difficult issues of borders, the future of Jerusalem, and Palestinian refugees. The only viable solution to the conflict is the establishment of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security. Israel will have to withdraw to something close to its pre-1967 borders and dismantle all but a few of its settlements in the West Bank and Gaza. Creative compromises will be necessary (and are possible) to divide control over Jerusalem and its holy sites, and to allow Palestinian refugees to settle in their current countries of residence, in the new state of Palestine, in third countries, or, in small numbers to be agreed upon, in Israel.

Additionally, Arab nations must accept the legitimacy of the Jewish state of Israel and develop normal diplomatic and economic relations with it. Full peace will not come to the Middle East until Israel feels secure with all of its neighbors. A major peace conference might be necessary to hammer out a broad regional agreement.

Throughout this process, Israeli, Palestinian, and Arab leaders must prepare their people for the compromises necessary to achieve agreements. I do not accept the view that neither Arafat nor Sharon can reach an agreement — either because they are unwilling or incapable of it. Israel and the Palestinians will have to come to an agreement eventually because there is no viable alternative. Israel cannot rule an ever-growing Palestinian population and the Palestinians cannot expel Israel by force.

In light of the horrific violence of recent weeks, talk of a comprehensive settlement to the Israeli-Arab conflict might seem premature. But the failure of terrorism or military assaults to achieve Palestinian or Israeli goals should help all parties understand that there is no military solution to the dispute. The United States must take the lead in bringing the Israelis and Palestinians back from the brink. Our own security and international standing depend on our success in this crucial task.

Lee Hamilton is the director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. He was elected to 16 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, and was chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs from 1993 - 1995.
He is also a member of the U.S. Commission on National Security, which produced the book, Road Map for National Security, and is a member of the Goals for Americans Foundation Advisory Board.

April 15, 2002 | Filed Under GFA