The continuing unsettled situation in the Middle East - that is, the principal one between Israel and the Palestinians - occupies acres of analysis in newspapers by just about everyone, qualified to do so or not. Much of the "debate" attracts extreme positions, hyperbole and simple uninformed or ignorant comment.
How refreshing then to read a sober piece by the former Australian ambassador to Israel, Peter Rogers, in The Age newspaper:
"George Mitchell prides himself on being a patient man, a quality well demonstrated when he helped broker a peace deal in Northern Ireland. Now, as President Barack Obama's Middle East envoy, his reserves of patience, perseverance, determination, toughness and stamina will be sorely tested.
The task before him is herculean. There is a chasm between Israelis and Palestinians and between Palestinians themselves. The Israelis have grown so used to doing what they want and ignoring occasional American tut-tutting, Mitchell will likely think he is talking to the deaf. Then there is the problem of America's reputation. The former Saudi Arabian ambassador to the US recently described the Bush administration's legacy in the region as "sickening".
Mitchell will also need to watch his back at home. His appointment in the first days of the Obama Administration was widely welcomed. But it also drew criticism from senior figures in the American Jewish community who accused Mitchell, in effect, of being "even-handed". The charge stemmed from the so-called Mitchell report of 2001 into the causes of the second Palestinian uprising against the Israelis, which laid blame with both sides.
The essence of the conflict, the report argued, involved Palestinian humiliation and frustration from the continuing Israeli occupation and fear among Israelis of Palestinian terrorism, which undermined their belief in the possibility of co-existence. It called on the Palestinian leadership to make "a 100 per cent effort to prevent terrorist operations" and on the Israelis to "freeze all settlement activity". These worthy entreaties were largely ignored."
Continue reading here.
How refreshing then to read a sober piece by the former Australian ambassador to Israel, Peter Rogers, in The Age newspaper:
"George Mitchell prides himself on being a patient man, a quality well demonstrated when he helped broker a peace deal in Northern Ireland. Now, as President Barack Obama's Middle East envoy, his reserves of patience, perseverance, determination, toughness and stamina will be sorely tested.
The task before him is herculean. There is a chasm between Israelis and Palestinians and between Palestinians themselves. The Israelis have grown so used to doing what they want and ignoring occasional American tut-tutting, Mitchell will likely think he is talking to the deaf. Then there is the problem of America's reputation. The former Saudi Arabian ambassador to the US recently described the Bush administration's legacy in the region as "sickening".
Mitchell will also need to watch his back at home. His appointment in the first days of the Obama Administration was widely welcomed. But it also drew criticism from senior figures in the American Jewish community who accused Mitchell, in effect, of being "even-handed". The charge stemmed from the so-called Mitchell report of 2001 into the causes of the second Palestinian uprising against the Israelis, which laid blame with both sides.
The essence of the conflict, the report argued, involved Palestinian humiliation and frustration from the continuing Israeli occupation and fear among Israelis of Palestinian terrorism, which undermined their belief in the possibility of co-existence. It called on the Palestinian leadership to make "a 100 per cent effort to prevent terrorist operations" and on the Israelis to "freeze all settlement activity". These worthy entreaties were largely ignored."
Continue reading here.
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