By Rabbi Dow Marmur
JERUSALEM–Ron Ben-Ishai is a distinguished Israeli journalist specializing in defense issues. His recent op-ed piece on Ynet about the leaks around Israeli-Palestinian negotiations with Abu Mazen, the president of the Palestinian Authority, and his crew when Ehud Olmert was prime minister of Israel is noteworthy. Alluding to the biblical story about Balaam who was commissioned by king Balak to curse the Israelites but ended up blessing them, the piece is called, “Al Jazeera came to curse but ended up blessing.”
If Al Jazeera is Balaam, the ruler of Qatar is king Balak. He has in recent years become important in the Middle East. Through Al Jazeera, which is based in his fiefdom and financed by him, he has gained considerable influence in the region. He maintains seemingly good relations with the United States, the European Union and even with Israel (Shimon Peres visited there before he became president). But at the same time, he’s also the mouthpiece of Iran, Syria and others of that ilk.
It’s, therefore, safe to assume that he leaked the documents in order to embarrass Abu Mazen and the Palestinian Authority in an effort to support Hamas and other Iranian clients thus trying to thwart the piece process. On one level, writes Ben Ishai, he has succeeded: Abu Mazen isn’t likely to rush back to the negotiating table very soon.
But on the other, the expected outrage among Palestinians calculated to topple the current Palestinian leadership hasn’t materialized. It seems that concessions to Israel don’t surprise the Palestinians. They may even have welcomed this potentially realistic path to peace. If they were angry it was with Al Jazeera for embarrassing their leader; the network’s Ramallah office was ransacked by a mob.
The Israeli right-wing hasn’t been fuming either. Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu even cynically suggested that Tzipi Livni, Olmert’s foreign minister, had adopted its plan to transfer clusters of Arab population in Israel’s pre-1967 borders to the Palestinian state. In reality she did nothing of the kind, but it may be that that the right wants to pretend otherwise.
The Israeli left is obviously more wholehearted in its enthusiasm for the leaked documents. The Geneva Initiative that has advocated ideas not dissimilar to those discussed according to the leaked documents has an advertisement in today’s Israeli press that states that the leaks confirm that (1) there is a partner with whom Israel can negotiate, (2) the differences between the Israeli and the Palestinian positions are (relatively) small and (3) a peace agreement is possible.
In fact, most of the points covered in the leaked reports of the negotiations have been on the table for a long time, mostly crystallized around the proposals of former US president Bill Clinton of more than a decade ago. Many commentators I’ve read on the subject agree that this remains the most realistic basis for an agreement.
Ron Ben Ishai is confident that it’ll come. In his assessment “the infrastructure of a future settlement is already in place and the reaction in the Palestinian and Israeli streets to its exposure enhances the chances of reaching an agreement sooner or later.” He adds optimistically: “If not this year then in a two or three years’ time. And thanks to the ruler of Qatar and Al Jazeera for taking us there.”
Despite all the skeptics and opponents, let’s say: “From his mouth to God’s ears.”
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Marmur is spiritual leader emeritus of Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto. He now divides his time between Canada and Israel