| Day 14 continued... |
| The Y Accord established that Israel�s obligations were all one-time deals, like the transferal of land, but the Palestinians� obligations were ongoing�for example, fighting terrorism. The Y Accord set forth a detailed timetable for the carrying out of Palestinian obligations over a twelve-week period. In Phase I, the Palestinians were to enact serious laws against incitement and illegal weapons, and the Israelis were to transfer more land and release 250 prisoners accused of terrorism. Phase II was more difficult; the Palestinians had to not only pass these laws but also implement them�for example, begin collecting illegal weapons�but next to nothing was done. Laws banning terrorist groups and incitement (often accomplished in school text books and sermons in mosques) were similarly not acted upon. Mr. Taub maintained that there has not yet been a single case in which anti-incitement laws have been enforced. Israel was thus reluctant to give up all of its one-time bargaining chips (such as the transfer of land) until further implementation of agreed upon laws by the Palestinians. Mr. Taub stated that the Palestinians seemed to prefer martyrdom status to practical benefits for their people, refusing to agree to terms for the express purpose of making Israel look bad. Mr. Taub further explained that for real progress to be made, two things have to happen: 1) Israel has to have a sense of security and 2) The Palestinians have to see the economic benefits of the peace process. If the peace process were to advance, there would be serious economic advantages for the Palestinians. First off, when terrorist attacks occur, one of the few tactics remaining to the Israelis is to close the borders. As a result, many Palestinians are cut off from their places of employment, and thus face economic hardship; this problem would be alleviated if terrorism abated. Mr. Taub told us that Israel has tried to create industrial parks for the Palestinians, so that they could have jobs closer to home, but that the Palestinians have not sent their businesses to these developments. Second, non-cooperation undermines Palestinian self-sufficiency. Theinternational community, maintained Mr. Taub, needs to support peace efforts, not cater to victim games. After his lecture, Mr. Taub entertained some questions: Question: What about no taxation without representation? Answer: No money comes into Israel from the West bank. In fact, it is Israel who funds various projects there, as does the international community. If money doesn�t get through to the people there, it�s the Palestinians who control that. Question: What about Palestinian access to holy sites? Answer: Israel goes very far to accommodate Palestinian access to places they consider holy, despite the threat of terrorism. Question: What about Palestinians who are told that they can�t travel through certain areas�Jerusalem, for example�to go to work? Answer: This is a security issue. The bus Mr. Taub takes to work has been blown up twice in the past three years. What steps are necessary to contain a security risk? Any step will inconvenience some people; it�s a matter of balance, and the Palestinians could help themselves by fighting terrorism more. Israel is often accused of collective punishment, but Israel sees this as the last resort left to them. Many people are not aware of the fact that Palestinians are allowed access to the high courts of Israel (a unique state of affairs), and the courts frequently rule in favor of Palestinian complaints. Question: How do you determine if a piece of land can be taken for public use, as in the case of Har Homah? Answer: Before any land is used, it has to be declared as public rather than private�it undergoes a stringent review (more so than the previous Jordanian policies). In the West bank, there have been no new Jewish settlements since the peace process began, even though there�s no law against it. As far as Har Homah is concerned, there is a consensus in Israel that Jerusalem is the core of a sovereign Israeli state, and it is legitimate to have a ring of Jewish settlements around it. The international community is a bit paranoid about this, and they blow it out of proportion; emergency U.N. meetings have been called, which is only supposed to happen when there is a threat to humanity�there have only been about ten such meetings in the history of the U.N. Har Homah is within the boundaries of Jerusalem, but many don�t accept any part of eastern Jerusalem as legitimately belonging to Israel. Question: What about the practice of administrative detention? Answer: It exists here as in any country that faces a security problem. Some people under suspicion can�t yet be brought to trial because it would ruin the cover of Israeli spies and cooperating Palestinians. Now, the practice of administrative detention is minimal. 98% of Palestinians live in areas A and B, where they deal with Palestinian security forces. Question: What is the role of religion in these issues? Answer: Jewish fundamentalists aren�t terrorists. Many modern Islamic fundamentalists are Mr. Taub referred us to the website of Israel�s Foreign Ministry: www.Israel-mfa.gov.il After spending two days hearing completely opposite and equally heart-wrenching versions of the story of Israeli-Palestinian relations, we needed a bit of a diversion, so Father Greg, Bob, Elaine, Fay, Jim, Rose and I went to the lobby for sabra. Finally, Father Greg and I settled down in the most comfortable chairs we could find to smoke Cuban cigars together�a blessedly legal practice in Israel! |
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