Don't miss this opportunity

There's a very good editorial in today's Ha'aretz newspaper stressing that "neither Israel nor the Zionist movement has any more important or more urgent interest than ending the occupation of the territories".

It also lays out the framework of the Peres document which, I must admit, is more comprehensive than I have previously believed it to be:

Olmert, basing himself on a proposal by President Shimon Peres, welcomed the key principle of the Arab peace initiative, which guarantees that negotiations over the borders of the Palestinian state will be based on the June 4, 1967, lines.

The Peres document proposes that Israel and the Palestinians draft a document of principles, with an upfront guarantee that Israel will provide the Palestinian state with territory equal to 100 percent of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A prior agreement on this central issue, along with a binding timetable, would enable negotiations to be held on the details of the agreement. Such a discussion would focus, among other issues, on what compensation the Palestinians would receive for the designated settlement blocs, which must not interfere with the West Bank's territorial contiguity. The Peres outline also proposes practical and balanced solutions for the issues of Jerusalem and the refugees' return to places other than Israel's sovereign territory.

This is the first time in many a year that I have heard the Israelis approach peace talks with anything like the sense of purpose that is needed to make progress possible. The suggestions above are serious proposals to enable a successful solution.

The Ha'aretz editorial also suggests that the reason Israel must grasp the nettle is the radicalisation of the territories since Bush's failed invasion of Iraq and Israel's newly weakened position since the failed invasion of Lebanon last summer:

Moreover, time is not on the side of pragmatic forces in the Middle East. Israel's failed war in Lebanon, and the failure of American policy in Iraq, have raised the status of Shi'ite fanatics like Hassan Nasrallah, who receive support from Iran. The combination of hasty "democratization" and an atmosphere of violence is attracting extremist terrorist elements such as Al-Qaida to the region, and strengthening rejectionist organizations in the territories. Without a substantive change in the situation in the territories, Hamas' takeover of the Gaza Strip is liable to turn out to be the first step in a takeover of the entire territories by Islamic fanatics. These enemies have created a rare common incentive for Israel, the Arab League, and the Quartet - headed by the United States - to strengthen the circle of Middle East moderates, which is aware of the importance of a peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, before Tehran completes its nuclear program. If this opportunity is missed, it is liable to be one miss too many.

I disagree with the editorials view of some Palestinians as "rejectionists", believing that the worst rejectionists over the past forty years have been the US and the Israelis, but now is not the time for such quibbling.

By bringing up the threat of al Qaeda entering the territories and acknowledging the link between this organisation and the conflict in the Middle East, I think this is the nearest any Israeli newspaper has come to admitting that the Israeli-Palestine issue is central to what occurred on 9-11.

The Bush regime have done everything in their power to blur the link, with Bush talking about people "hating our freedoms" and launching misguided wars in Iraq and Lebanon - and threatening to launch yet another in Iran.

However, his wars have failed and al Qaeda has grown as a result of his activities.

"Although half of al-Qaeda's 30 senior leaders and perhaps 2,000 rank-and-file members have been killed or captured, a rump leadership is still intact and more than 18,000 potential terrorists are still at large, with recruitment accelerating on account of Iraq."

Indeed, as early as May 2004, Time magazine were hinting at the real cause of Muslim anger towards the US:

The consensus among security analysts is that the key to eliminating al-Qaeda as a threat is to transform the permissive political environment in which it operates in the Muslim world. Instead, the opposite has occurred — Muslim anger at the U.S. has reached an all-time high and continues to grow, driven by outrage at U.S. actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and by Israel's actions against the Palestinians.

Even Tony Blair has admitted that settling this dispute would do more to rob al Qaeda of it's recruiting power than any other action which the west could take. This dispute is pivotal to Bush's war on terror, although it's centrality has been obscured by Likud supporting Bushites keen to avoid Israel having to give up any land.

With this editorial, Ha'aretz allow the cat out of the bag, acknowledging that time is running out to find a sensible solution to this madness.

Israel MUST deal with this historic wrong. Nothing else will rob bin Laden of his ability to radicalise Muslims everywhere. Afghanistan and Iraq are sideshows next to the anger generated in the Muslim world by the treatment of the Palestinians at the hands of the Israelis.

I am pleased that the proposals put forward by Peres are so sensible. If implemented, they do represent a genuine window of opportunity for serious negotiations. Good on Peres for proposing this, and good on Ha'aretz for being brave enough to write an editorial that makes - however tenuously - the link that Bush and others deny.

Nothing matters more than sorting this dispute NOW.

As Ha'aretz also point out: "If this opportunity is missed, it is liable to be one miss too many."

Click title for Ha'aretz editorial.