Congregation Rinat Yisrael of Plainview, New York
The Death of Yasser Arafat has engendered speculation about the future. Will things remain the same, or will relations between the Mid-East protagonists change for the better? This line of speculation is based upon the realization that Arafat was constitutionally incapable of abandoning his war against Israel and making peace. Now that he is gone, we face a big unknown. Will new leaders committed to ending the conflict emerge? Even if better leaders come along, there is reason to question whether they can reverse the growing tide against peace. It is incumbent on us to consider appropriate responses to any new possibilities that may emerge.
We cannot approach the issue of negotiations with superficial optimism and naďve belief. Faith in the mystical power of a “peace process” led to the Oslo Accords and the subsequent disaster of the “second” Intifada. Some have observed that if this is peace – then maybe war is not so bad, after all. It is vital to approach the post-Arafat period with caution and realism. Above all we must free ourselves of illusion. However, we must not bury our heads in the sand and shut ourselves off. It is our obligation to retain an open mind and seriously consider any viable chance for an improved condition. It is not an all-or-nothing situation. Even small advances are important if they decrease casualties and save Jewish lives. Our primary concern is the protection of Jewish life. This overrides any other consideration on anyone’s political agenda.
The attitude we bring to the next phase of our relations with the Palestinians is of the greatest importance. While we rightfully despise Arafat as a rasha (wicked individual) deserving of no pity in life or death, we must not adopt a posture of blanket hatred against all Arabs. We cannot assume that every Palestinian has the same mentality as Arafat. Indeed, if it were to become clear that most Palestinians are incapable of abandoning warfare, we would have no choice but to accept reality and act accordingly. However, at this point there is no evidence that such is the case. We must therefore retain an open mind and use our ingenuity to seek out every legitimate avenue for progress.
This will not be easy. We have suffered a lot and lost our patience. We feel that we have exhausted every option and that there is no real solution. Or put a different way, there is no legitimate peace partner. We yearn for a speedy, decisive military type of resolution. However we must face the fact that there just aren’t any quick fixes out there. The Palestinians are not going away. Like it or not we have to accept the fact that they will occupy a significant portion of Eretz Yisrael for the indefinite future. We will have to decide whether or not we can engage them in meaningful negotiations leading to genuine agreements. Perhaps vigorous and constant military action against the terrorist infrastructure is the only feasible option at present, however imperfect it may be. Before reaching conclusions on these challenging questions we will need to do something which is very difficult in the best of times and almost impossible now: put ourselves in the position of the enemy. We must try to understand his concerns and take them seriously. We must at least attempt to comprehend what bothers him and why it bothers him. Even if we don’t believe he is justified in feeling the way he does we will gain because we will be in a better position to formulate viable initiatives. A vital aspect of the quest for resolution is acknowledging the grievances of the other party. It is absurd to believe that Israel is perfect and the Palestinians are all evil. No one denies that the Arabs have suffered hardship and mistreatment and have real complaints. We do not begrudge them their issues. We cannot, however, condone the path they have chosen to achieve their political goals.
There are paths that once taken do not allow for an easy return. You don’t embark on the road of terrorism, indiscriminate murder, and incessant incitement to violence without bending your soul seriously out of shape. There are certain things you just can’t do and still expect to be regarded as human, much less as civilized. You don’t violate the sanctity of innocents. You don’t target the most vulnerable and defenseless: mothers, children, babies, the elderly. You don’t coldly execute a pregnant woman and pump a few extra bullets directly into her belly to make sure that the fetus doesn’t survive. You don’t toss an elderly man in a wheelchair off the deck of an ocean liner and pretend that you are fighting for a “cause.” There is nothing more dangerous than a “cause” which for all intents and purposes is just a license to unleash the most primitive and bestial human impulses. All mass murderers act in the name of an ideal and have a “cause.” The legitimacy of any cause is measured by the behavior of its adherents and the means utilized in its pursuit. We are dealing with a movement which has adopted suicide bombing, Jihad, and martyrdom as its national symbols. Under Arafat a culture based on demonization of Israel and a belief that any means is justified to attain Palestinian goals was cultivated. Arab children were robbed of their freedom to think by early indoctrination in martyrdom and Jew-hatred. Have the Palestinians reached the point of no return? Can they find the way back to reason and reconciliation?
Before we begin our own process of introspection and entertain thoughts of returning to negotiations we need to find out whether Arafat is truly dead or if his spirit lives on in the minds and hearts of his people and their new leaders.