Albawaba.com - Amman
Palestinian Minister of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Cordinator of Negotiations, Hassan Asfour, told Albawaba.com in an interview Tuesday that the Palestinian Authority has not suffered a political loss because of the Intifada while the Israeli government has been seriously harmed politically.
Asfour said that since the Labor Party has failed to achieve peace, it is quite difficult for any other Israeli party to succeed in that. He added that the Labor is at the brink of political destruction, while the Likud will not reach a peace settlement with the Palestinians.
Following are excerpts from the interview:
Q. What are the implications of the new Israeli positions and the early elections on the peace process especially on the Palestinian track?
The truth is that Israel is the one that needs to define its strategic track, especially if it wants to coexist in the Middle East region.
Israel has to choose either to honor its commitments, or pay a high price for rejecting peace.
I think that Israel faces a serious question for the first time ever since 1967 - is it able to coexist with its neighboring countries including Palestine and the people of Palestine? Or is Israel a state that is determined to deal with the whole region using force, hence, political racism?
Israel must answer the question, and Barak has the key to this question.
Barak and the government of Israel are not the only two entities who are able to determine the final future of the State of the Israel through elections.
Barak fully realizes that the Palestinian people will never lose in this battle and that the losses of the Palestinian people are material and in human lives but not on the political front.
Barak has to either come forward with courage and implement International legitimacy starting with putting an end to the economic siege imposed on the Palestinian territories, and then the withdrawal from all occupied territories including east Jerusalem and securing the right of return for the Palestinians. Otherwise, the road tp peace will remain blocked.
The blockade will only come up with yet more racist powers in Israel, and these powers will not bring about peace, stabilityor security.
Arabs and Muslims have chosen the path international law and pledged to abide by it. Israel’s existence or non-existence is in its hands.
Q. There are expectations that the Likud party will come to power, whether under the leadership of Netanyahu or Sharon. Do you think that a Likud government would be able to reach peace with the Palestinian side and abide by it more than Barak or a Labor government?
I believe that since the Labor Party has been unable to reach peace, it will be difficult for any other party to reach it especially at this particular time.
The Likud was in power two years ago, and we all know that the party responsible for the halt of a historic peace treaty was the government of Bibi Netanyahu and his partner Sharon.
Yet, a drastic political change regarding this track is the responsibility of the Labor party, because Barak indulged in creating obstacles in the path of peace. By doing this, he adopted the Netanyahu logic, rather than using the logic of those who were in power before Netanyahu.
I believe that the United States of America bears a responsibility that may be even bigger than that which the Israeli government bears because it was not a positive factor in the peace process. This came as a result of the Israeli logic that has dominated American policy. This, in turn, led to the crisis we are in currently.
Netanyahu and Sharon are not unfamiliar to us, but the Palestinians will not be the losers. The true loser is Israel, which wil be risking its security, stability and entire existence by pursuing such policies.
Q. It was within the ability of Barak, and before him Peres, to move the peace process a serious step forward. On the other hand, all signs indicate that ever since the end of the term of Peres, things have gone from bad to worst regarding the peace process on the Palestinian track. Do you think that Barak is pursuing an Israeli public “okay” to direct a bigger strike at the Palestinians and thus reoccupy the territories?
I think that this is a very minor possibility. In politics, however, this could be described as an impossibility. Barak realizes that reoccupation of the territories would only mean the final blow to the Israeli security and stability. At least it would mean the end of the four-year plan of lies and deception.
Regarding the second part of the question, I think that Barak has still one more chance to adopt a historic political step. But this would require much courage on his part since he is drowning. There is hope, however, for political stability in the region, but is Barak aware of it? Does President Clinton know that if this chance escapes, the chance for the very existence of the state of Israel to coexist is at stake?
The salvation of Barak is in the hands of Barak himself.
Barak has a historic chance to free himself and Israel from the chains of endless wars which could rage in this region for many years to come.
We have told the Americans on more than one occasion that if such wars start, it will be very difficult to put an end to them.
We have told them that this is not your land, and we have asked them not to treat us like stones. We are humans and we are part of this region and its land.
Q. The Palestinian Authority said that the Israeli elections are an Israeli domestic issue. What does the PA mean? Is the success of Netanyahu or Sharon in the elections an Israeli domestic issue?
The expression “domestic issue” is a political term that has to do with the form and not the content.
In content, the Palestinian question has become the main factor in the Israeli elections since the year 1992 when Shamir and the his Likud party were defeated in the elections. The famous saying on that occasion was that “the Zionist theory, or Greater Israel fell in the year 1992.”
You do not need a deep political insight to see that the Palestinians are the main factor in the Israeli elections.
The Israeli director of the Shin Beit Ami Ailor said in a lecture that “we and the Palestinians are Siamese twins, therefore, it is impossible to ignore their presence.”
Q. What is your personal assumption regarding the change and the coming elections. Do you think that Labor will be able to stay, or is the Likud taking over power?
Labor is able to stay under one condition - the government should be willing to adopt the historic step on the track of the peace treaty.
But if Labor continues its racist violent logic against the Palestinian people, I think that the influence of the Labor party on Israeli society will decline, and it could then mean the end for the party.
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
