Aviad Kleinberg
The empty suitcase
Israel says it wants peace but its actions may raise question marks
A skit written by Ephraim Kishon tells of a peddler with a suitcase knocking at the door and offering his merchandize – combs, razors, and pens. Time and again, Kishon declares that he does not need these goods, yet time and again the peddler returns.
One day, Kishon is fed up. He thinks it would be simpler to just buy something. He turns to the peddler and asks for a comb. To his surprise, the peddler does not rush to offer the goods, but instead keeps on muttering his usual mantra – combs, razors, pens. After repeated requests are ignored, Kishon forcefully grabs the suitcase and opens it.
As it turns out, the suitcase is completely empty. Where are the goods? Kishon wonders. You never buy anything, the peddler responds. So why do you carry it for nothing? Why do you go from door to door with an empty suitcase? The confused customer asks. Sir, declares the peddler, a man needs to make a living somehow!
Israel’s desire for peace is sometimes reminiscent of the empty suitcase in Kishon’s skit. You can make a decent living from it, as long as nobody wants to buy something. The sour Israeli response to the Saudi-Arab peace initiative and to Syria’s moves could have prompted a chuckle had it not pertained to such serious matters.
Cool reception
The Saudi peace initiative – a proposal for comprehensive peace with all Arab states – was met with such cool reception that it completely disappeared from the agenda and from our awareness. It appears that the Syrian initiative is heading to the same place.
President Assad, who was eulogized by all our learned commentators immediately after he took power, refuses to clear the stage for some reason. What’s worse, for long months now he has been yelling: “I want a comb! I want a comb!” Yet we seem to think he doesn’t really mean it. Maybe it’s just a habit. What does this nagger want from us? He should leave our suitcase alone. Our hand is reached out for peace with the US and is unavailable for all sorts of dubious Mideastern adventures.
I am not trying to argue that we need to sell this comb at any price. The Syrian and Saudi peace initiatives are of course complex political moves with bumps along the way. Before signing a peace treaty, we would do well to closely examine the fine print.
However, Israel’s response is not a reasonable expression of caution. Instead of responding enthusiastically and openly or proposing gestures and trust-building steps, we rush to declare that everything is a bluff or a conspiracy. Nothing good will come out of that. We are quick to present difficulties and demand guarantees – everything as long as we are not asked to open the empty suitcase.
The Egyptian example
This doesn’t always work. In the 1970s, Egypt under the leadership of a president who was no less ephemeral than Assad (according to our commentators at least) attempted to reach a settlement with Israel. Yet Israel rejected these dangerous offers and the Egyptians launched a war. President Sadat’s operational orders ahead of the Yom Kippur War (a secret document not meant for propaganda purposes) stated that the war was meant to stimulate a diplomatic move, which the Israelis are uninterested in.
The Israelis only understand force, Sadat said. Many people ended up dying. After that, Israel signed a peace treaty under the very same terms it contemptuously rejected before the war. This is another way of doing it.
According to a Greek idiom “everything flows” (panta rhei.) The Greeks wanted to say that everything changes all the time. A person cannot swim in the same river twice because the river is not the same, the sea is not the same, and even the Arabs are no longer the same. Yet around here the opposite is true. That is, the river, sea, and the Arabs change, but we remain insistent.
The State of Israel has an existential interest in peace. The coalition has no such interest. Peace means deep trouble. It may infuriate the Yesha Council, for example, heaven forbid. So which interest will the government prefer? I leave it up to you to guess.
