Professor Leon Sheloff of Tel Aviv University advocated the abandonment of Israeli settlements and the division of Jerusalem as crucial steps in establishing peace between Israelis and Palestinians in a lecture yesterday.
During his speech, entitled "Is There a Way? From Intractable Problems to Feasible Solutions," Sheloff highlighted three "intractable problems" in the Arab-Israeli conflict: the separation of Jerusalem, the right of return, and continuing Israeli settlements in Palestinian-occupied territory.
"There is no correlation between the Jerusalem today and Biblical Jerusalem," said Sheloff.
Sheloff advocated the division of Jerusalem into an Arab and Israeli capital, with the entire city representing the capital of a confederation between the two states.
He stated that East Jerusalem, which consists of four small Arab villages, "was never a part of Jerusalem until modern times. Dividing Jerusalem is not doing anything sacrilegious."
Sheloff blamed these problems for the recent failure of the Oslo peace process. He claimed that Ehud Barak, Israeli Prime Minister from 1999 until late 2000, was overconfident and the Israeli population unprepared for the concessions Barak was willing to make.
During a visit to Dartmouth in the spring of 2002, Barak told students that Arafat's refusal to compromise led to the failure of the peace process.
According to Sheloff, Barak's government had self-destructed long before the final stages of that process.
Sheloff argued that in a rushed attempt to reach an agreement, Barak put Jerusalem's separation on the agenda without consulting others within his government and without allowing enough public debate on the issues.
"The price that he paid was that his government collapsed even before Camp David," Said Sheloff. "He was left on his own to bargain on the key issues of Israel's future."
Sheloff believes that the right of return should not necessarily be granted to the Palestinian refugees, since their refusal to exercise the right over an extended period of time could legally negate their claims. However, in a conciliatory gesture, he argued that Israel should do away with their "Law of Return," which guarantees citizenship to any person of Jewish faith. Sheloff said this law is "almost meaningless" today.
Sheloff addressed the Israeli settlement policy as "one of the ugliest aspects of Jewish and Israeli life." He argued that any agreement should involve the abandonment of the settlements, but added that they should be left intact for use by a Palestinian state.
Professor Sheloff was passionate about the refusal of some Israelis to bargain on the issues raised in his speech. "How can an Israeli really consider that the Palestinians can sign a document without dealing with these issues?" he said.
The audience at Sheloff's speech consisted mainly of older individuals and professors. "It's too bad more students don't show up for these events," said Claire Superfine '04, who is contemplating writing a thesis on the potential for a Middle Eastern customs union. "The events over there can affect our lives much more than people realize."
Sheloff holds a law degree from the University of Cape Town and doctorate from Ohio State University. He is the author of several books on the Arab-Israeli conflict, both in Hebrew and English.
