The US can bring new hope to the Middle East

Real peace cannot be achieved until Israelis see Palestinians as equals. America can lead the way by engaging with both sides


Jonathan Ben-Artzi guardian.co.uk, Monday 18 May 2009 13.01 BST


<snipped out the first part, as it's this bit of the article that I think is the most important...>

All peace deals signed over the last 20 years attempted to create peace "from the bottom up" – you start with small confidence-building measures, and slowly make your way towards the big issues. They have all failed.

There is a clear reason why these attempts have not succeeded: the Palestinians were always perceived as the inferior side, and any agreement reached with them was presented as an Israeli concession, rather than a Palestinian right. As long as Israelis do not see Palestinians as human beings with equal rights, real peace cannot be achieved. This is perhaps the biggest hurdle we need to overcome.

Unfortunately, this change in perception must come "from the top down": our politicians must show us that they treat their Palestinian counterparts as equals. They must show us that they respect the democratic choices of the Palestinians. They must show us that they care about human rights, regardless of which humans are in consideration.

Moreover, our treatment of the Palestinians only fuels anger and frustration within their population. In turn, these feelings fuel hate and motivation for revenge.

The US has been in a similar predicament in the last few years, with anger in the Arab world over American actions in the Middle East. Americans managed to bring upon great change, by electing a president who does not promote fear, and seeks discussion rather than destruction. The task is not complete, though.

Now is the time for the US to complete this endeavour, and sweep Israel and the entire Middle East along with it, into a new era of hope. Treating the Palestinians as equals, talking about the "big issues", and engaging all sides in these discussions are crucial steps towards a true and lasting peace.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/may/18/israel-palestine-peace

expected of the other side. If they did, they would be spot on and NOT clowns.

If they did, they wouldn't come across as hypocritical clowns...

fwiw, I'm not the slightest bit surprised that you'd object to an article that says that Palestinians have to be treated as equals who are deserving of the same human rights as Israelis...

and Bibi can't dance.