The Israeli-Palestinian peace process is a delicate thing and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is playing "catch" with it. Like a child, he misinterprets, misreads, miscalculates. He has all but ruined everything that Yitzhak Rabin gave his life for.
The Palestinian people are the cornerstone of this peace process. The same people that were marching through the streets with signs praising Israel for its peace efforts are now throwing stones and being shot in Hebron. The Palestinian police, trusted so much that they were armed by Israel, have turned against Israeli troops.
Yitzhak Rabin bombed guerrilla positions in Lebanon to fight terrorism. Netanyahu has chosen to attack Palestinians at large. By completely closing off the West Bank for prolonged periods in response to terrorist attacks, Netanyahu each time threatened the Palestinian people's jobs and livelihood.
Trampling people you are trying to negotiate with is a strategy for a military confrontation, not for finding peace through negotiation. The Palestinian people have been pushed too far. It is not surprising that they have reacted by protesting and throwing stones. The tunnel at Hebron was never the issue, it was only the impetus to a fuse about to blow.
Netanyahu expects Arafat to contain his people instead of calling for a strike. But trying to rule a people liable to revolt anytime is difficult. Arafat is forced to walk a tightrope between pleasing his people and pleasing Israel. To his people, Arafat at times seems too complacent in his attempts to negotiate with Israel, a country that has shown absolutely no regard for the lives of Palestinians by closing off the West Bank.
Nevertheless, Arafat was willing to bend. He has searched for terrorists and arrested several. He has persuaded his parliament to strike out a motion calling for the destruction of Israel in the Palestinian charter. Did Netanyahu bend with Arafat? No, he has pulled the tightrope under him tighter and tighter.
Netanyahu said that he is committed to the peace process, yet he has shown no signs of continuing the initiative Yitzhak Rabin began with the Oslo accords.
The accords promise eventual withdrawal from the West Bank and the Gaza strip. Instead of pulling out of Hebron, however, the Israeli government has made plans to increase settlements and has opened Hebron for new settlement activity.
The now infamous tunnel that runs near Al Aqsa Mosque is another symbol of Netanyahu's attitude towards peace. The tunnel is not necessary to Israel. It's not a modern structure showcasing Israeli engineering prowess. It was built in the second century, B.C. and was recently cleared in order to serve as a tourist attraction.
Given that it runs under Jerusalem, its opening was highly provocative and endangered the fragile peace of the region. But "Bibi" doesn't seem to care enough. And he has paid a price that is all too high -- 70 people have died in the recent violence.
The problem is that while Netanyahu says he wants peace, he seems unwilling to risk anything for it. He has to change his attitude. The continuous talks between Israel and the Palestinians to begin Sunday have to succeed. Netanyahu has played all his cards the wrong way and the state of Israel cannot afford any more mistakes.
Hosni Mubarak, president of Egypt, once the Arab country closest to Israel, turned a cold shoulder toward Netanyahu and his kind of peace process by not attending President Clinton's emergency summit in Washington this week. Should Egypt be alienated from Israel any further, the state of affairs in the Middle East will get much, much worse -- pushing tensions to the brink of war.
The United States, the best friend Israel has, clearly articulated its call for peace and has forged strong diplomatic ties with Egypt and Jordan in the process. If Netanyahu leads Israel even further from a path of peace, the United States will be hard pressed to support Israel in a diplomatic or military confrontation.
It was amidst an atmosphere of optimism and hope that Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated at a peace rally. But now there is insecurity, uncertainty and a flexing of military muscle in Israel. There are youths throwing stones and soldiers shooting one an other instead of rallying for peace.
Benjamin Netanyahu, take a bow.
