Someone else's Land for Peace

By Ami Isseroff

It pays to keep an open mind. Sometimes our neighbors have really good, creative ideas and perhaps we should listen to them more often.


Rami Khouri, who writes for the Beirut Daily Star, had some suggestions about the peace process. He believes it is being compromised by American behavior. Perhaps the U.S. genuinely wants peace, but according to Khouri, they are going about it the wrong way. He wrote:

Yet even if this were a newfound American motive, its good intentions are almost totally negated by the style and substance of US behavior: lecturing, boycotting and threatening some key parties on the Arab side...

Right on, brother! You have given Israel the green light we have been waiting for. It is probably very easy for Israel to have peace with the certain Arab country (let's call it "S") that is being lectured and isolated by the U.S. All we have to do is agree that they have carte blanche in a certain other little Mediterranean Arab country that is directly to the north of Israel.

It is true that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice warned Israel that it may negotiate only about Israeli rights with the "S" country, and cannot abrogate the rights of that other Arab country. But since we now have the go ahead from Rami Khouri, it makes perfect sense for the Israeli side to make a great deal with the "S" country: Land for peace. We get peace, and someone else gives up their land - the whole country. If the US agrees, all the sanctions will be removed against the "S" country. They will stop intervening in Iraq, and they will stop sabotaging peace with the Palestinians. It won't cost Israel or the U.S. anything. A good deal for all concerned - except for some people in that other little Arab country. How very noble and altruistic of our neighbors to the north, to be willing to sacrifice their country for the sake of peace!

But alas, Israel and the United States understand that peace cannot be bought by sacrificing the rights of others. The "S" country, having digested the peace offering, will only clamor for more.

Back to the drawing boards Rami Khouri.

Ami Isseroff

Original content is Copyright by the author 2007.