Newspaper
Clarin
Buenos
Aires – Tuesday, June 4, 1996
Without peace, security is not going to take place in Middle East (view)
According to the author, there are no great differences between Labour Party and Likud Party in their policy towards the Arabs.
Suhail
Hani Daher Akel
Palestine National Authority’s representative in Argentina
In an electoral frame where the continuation or halt of the peace process was at stake, it is natural for those people who have been working to get a lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis to be so worried.
However, we cannot dodge the issue that the Labour, our peace partner, as well as the triumphant Likud, has never hurried to carry out the agreements it signed with us. You only have to notice that the Oslo process is delayed nineteen months and their concepts have been infringed with the closure of borders for an indefinite period of time, strong economic boycotts and physical, psychological and material offences in its collective punishments. Besides, it has not shown a greater move than Likud’s promises with regard to Palestinian people’s national rights towards their own land and their own independent State.
Anyway, Oslo agreements and then the signing of the Declaration of Principles in Washington, as well as, ratification of the first, second and third Oslo’s stage establish the commitments between Palestine and Israel. These commitments are irreversible.
Israel, with its present leader Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestine and the remaining Arab countries highly know that the lack of pacification in the area and the Israeli territorial occupation by means of its iron fist policy have provoked an undoubted progress of the frantic sectors in the region with the passing of time.
Although we were not waiting for the achievement of 88% of votes, just as Palestinian people’s democratic vote for President Yasser Arafat and the Peace process, we believed –as a result of the diversity of nationalities constituting the Israeli society- that there could be a greater tendency towards those who, such as Rabin and then Peres, insert Israel, thanks to the agreements, into the international context.
Nevertheless, it is important to emphasise that the growing of the minority parties, especially the Arab ones and the Israeli progressive ones, is going to give a greater and more efficient examination to the regression policy in the Israeli Parliament. Some of the falcons which surround Netanyahu –such as Sharon- are going to be the ones who try to carry out this policy.
“The lack of pacification in the area has provoked the progress of Israeli frantic sectors”
It is highly possible that – in the high political level- the United States finds Likud triumph interesting, since this event commits it to the peace process for the fact of being in power. In this way, the number of people who are opposed to the agreement might be fewer.
There is no doubt that the region needs security, such as the Likud campaign has said. But there must be security not only for Israelis, but also for Palestinians, Lebanese people, Egyptians, Syrians and all countries and people in the region. Security only takes place by means of peace. Peace can be obtained by means of the fulfilment of UN resolution, the signature of agreements and the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from Palestine, including East Jerusalem, Lebanon and Syria. Peace is obtained returning dignity and justice to the Palestinian and Israeli people.
