Breaking the ice

Diplomatic stalemate will lead to war; we must talk to Abbas, Assad

Danny Yatom|Published: 11.14.06 , 00:52

The State of Israel is simultaneously dealing with external and internal threats: Terrorism continues to rage; Palestinian terror groups that haven't stopped for a moment their attempts to hurt our citizens and troops; Qassam rockets that undermine the lives and daily routine of Sderot and Negev residents; Iran, which continues to develop nuclear capabilities and constitutes an existential threat on the State of Israel; Nasrallah, who continues with his covert activity in Lebanon and threatens Israeli population centers with tens of thousands of rockets; al-Qaeda, which builds infrastructure, assists local terror groups, and views attacks on Israel and Israelis as one of its major objectives.

At home, the problems are also piling up: Terrible corruption, rising violence, unemployment, poverty, a decline in educational achievements – all those erode the power of Israeli society, undermine its cohesion, and threaten its future.

The prime minister, defense minister, and all other ministers have adopted the policy of using force. Indeed, we must fight terrorism, we must repair the flaws discovered in the second Lebanon war, and we must reinforce state security. However, the time has come to internalize the basic truth: There is no way to defeat terror through military means only.

Terrorism will be defeated when we utilize diplomatic moves alongside uncompromising war, and the time is not playing in Israel's favor. As time passes, the Iranian threat continues to grow, the situation in the Palestinian Authority deteriorates and could result in chaos that won't help us, the siege on Syria is being eroded, and the United States is directing more resources to addressing the Iraq situation. All of those factors could negatively affect Israel's strategic position.

Syrian President Bashar Assad has called several times in recent years for the renewal of negotiations with Israel. His calls were rejected with a contemptuous hand gesture. The government demands that before talks are renewed, Assad remove terror elements from his country, curb his assistance to Hizbullah, and eliminate his strategic ties with Teheran. Those are legitimate demands, but they must not become a precondition for renewing negotiations. We must renew the contacts, and as early as the first day of discussions demand that Syria end any assistance it offers terror and remove terror groups' headquarters from its territory.

Those who object to renewed talks with Syria are telling us that Washington is unwilling; if this is the case, I call on Prime Minister Olmert to raise the issue in his talks with President Bush and explain that renewed contacts with Damascus would serve Israeli interests. Olmert can persuade his host to waive America's objection.

The renewal of negotiations with Syria comes with risks, but it also offers significant chances. A responsible government must leave no stone unturned in an attempt to prevent the next war and advance a process of peace; peace should not come at any price, but should certainly come at a tolerable price, while maintaining Israel's security, despite the compromises and concessions we'll be asked to make. Of course, we'll be asking the other side to also make compromises and concessions.

Don't fall in love with current situation

We should also be talking with Palestinian leader Abbas. The Hamas government is a terror government and we must not engage in dialogue with it. Yet the Palestinian Authority chairman's powers allow for dialogue in the aim of at least securing a ceasefire. It should included an end to Qassam rocket fire and terror attacks, as well as an end to military activity and the release of abducted IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Engaging in dialogue with Syria and the Palestinians will return the diplomatic initiative to the Israeli side and boost our level of freedom in our war against terror, as it would no longer be possible to argue that we only resort to power without giving a chance to peace and a ceasefire.

I'm sounding the alarm against falling in love with the current situation - a diplomatic freeze would lead to escalation and a military conflict. A diplomatic initiative would put off a military conflict, and may possibly prevent it. What's more, a truce in the Gaza Strip and negotiations with Syria would allow Israel to turn increasing resources to address the dangerous, existential threat - Iran's nuclear program.

Israel's policy was to always engage in dialogue with its enemies without preconditions, but now, preconditions are presented by us of all sides. A responsible leadership must try the path of negotiations as well. It must view reality with open, sober eyes, take calculated risks, and fully utilize opportunities.