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news report
 Tuesday May 21, 2002 03:25 by A.B. Yehoshua
 The prominent Israeli author A.B. Yehoshua who is also a leading figure in Israel's peace camp gave an interview to the Arab-Israeli newspaper Kul Al-Arab[1] in which he expressed doubt of Yasser Arafat's ability to be Israel's peace partner and blamed him for causing disaster to the Palestinian people. Yehoshua also called upon the members of the Labor party to resign from the unity government, and argued that now is the opportunity for a revival of Israel's left which should call for a unilateral separation between Israel and the Palestinians. Following are excerpts from the interview: Kul Al-Arab: "Do you believe that the Israeli left still exists?" Yehoshua: "There is no doubt that the Israeli left suffered a major blow from the Palestinians following the failure of the negotiations at Camp David." "I believe that the main reason for the decline of the Israeli left is Yasser Arafat. When Arafat stubbornly insisted on rejecting Barak's proposals at Camp David, he brought a catastrophe upon his Palestinian people. Barak proposed to return 95% of the territory but Arafat refused, and that was a big mistake. Following [the launching of the Intifada] I met with many Palestinians and I asked them for the reason that led the Palestinians to use fire [arms] while Israel was led by a left wing government that was seeking peace and proposing solutions to reach it. The Palestinian choice of the Intifada brought about a shift in Israeli public opinion regarding Arafat and his people across the political spectrum – from the most neutral to the most radical." Kul Al-Arab: "Do you still see Yasser Arafat as Israel's peace partner or even as a negotiation partner?" Yehoshua: "Frankly, I'll tell you that personally, I hate Arafat from the bottom of my heart. The dream which we have been trying to realize since 1967 – the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel – amounts today to fiction. If I were a Palestinian, I would cry and scream to the world that I hate Arafat, and I would come out against him. Recently, I started to doubt Arafat's ability to continue being Israel's [peace] partner." "The Palestinians are experiencing severe difficulties in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip [but] Arafat does not consider his people's best interest and [the need to find] immediate solutions for their problems. Rather, Arafat thinks about the Palestinian problem in its broader context and about ways to bring back the refugees." Kul Al-Arab: "How long will the issues of Jerusalem and the refugee problem remain unresolved?" Yehoshua: "I think it is better not to deal with these two issues at the present time since they complicate matters even further. I believe that the Palestinian problem will be resolved only when a Palestinian state is established, and [then] the Palestinian refugees will return and live in the Palestinian state. This is especially [an applicable solution] since there are wide-open available areas in the West Bank where the refugees could live." "This is also true for Jerusalem. I do not think that there is a need to talk about Jerusalem right now. What is important for me is that Arafat and other Palestinian leaders will work to provide suitable living conditions for the Palestinian nation and for the Palestinian individual." Kul Al-Arab: "In your opinion, what is the solution in order to bring about a cessation of the bloodshed on both sides?" Yehoshua: "I believe that this phase is an opportunity for a revival of [Israel's] left. The left needs to work on the issue of unilateral separation between the West Bank and Israel since, under the current conditions, there is difficulty reaching an agreement. I support a temporary solution, the aim of which is to cut down violence and bring about calm. This solution includes a withdrawal from an additional 42% of the territories, or [interchangeably] a recognition that 85% of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip territory belongs to the Palestinians, removal of small settlements, an establishment of a strong and continuous border between Israel and the [territories under the control of] the Palestinian Authority, and other steps to be taken unilaterally by the Israeli side, since it is not necessary to get the agreement of the Palestinians regarding these matters. Regarding the border, I support bringing international forces to the region in order to maintain security. Moreover, I want to add that I have always been a supporter of a national unity government. But today, in light of the circumstances, I object to this kind of government, and I call upon its members from the Labor party to unite their views and to act for the secession of violence and bloodshed." [1] Kul Al-Arab, December 28, 2001.
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Comments (7 of 7)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7I am not exactly in love with Sharon (Sabra-Shatila) amongst other war crimes, Peres (Qana) amongst other war crimes, Begin,(Deir Yassin) and his buddy Shamir. What a sad commentry on (some) of the Israeli "left" that their "solution" is a version of Slobodan Milosevic's approach in the former Yugoslavia, ETHNETIC CLEANSING. Sad, Pathetic, and a WAR CRIME !!!
Oliver o Driscoll
can t you ever say anything nice ?
You really come out with such a lot of drivel when you write about Israel .
You know as well as everyone else that the Arabs could have had such a peaceful country if they had nt been so zenophobic ---like the Irish were in the De Valera boom years of the 1930s and 1940s . By the way How many Arabs would Dev have let in to Ireland then ?
The Arabs were offered their own state in the 1930s and 1940s but becuase they didnt want any Jews there they managed to loose the chance to have one then . They now have a chance again to have a State but they want two states now --Palestine and Israel.
If A B Yehoshua is upset with your good peace loving friend Yasir Arafat things must be bad because he is the voice of the far left in Israel and he has tried so hard to do what you fail to do Mr O Dirscol --he has tried to reach out and understand the feelings and aspirations of the other side while all you do is come out with propagandist drivel .
He is sincere -what a shame there are so few Arabs left who he could relate to. Meanwhile from the safety and comfort of a Celtic Tiger powered economy it must give you great satisfaction to be able to pontificate and spread your venom without offering any realsitic hope
for peace . How lovely it is to be able to cure the worlds ills from the safety of these shores !!
Historical facts may not be "nice" but they are just that facts, historical facts, reality. The facts are that .75 million Palestinian people were ethnically cleansed in 1948 accompanied by murder (remember Deir Yassin, it's not far from the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem), since then the proces of ethnetic cleansing has continued, ever now Palestinian people are having their land stolen, to be replaced by Jews from Europe, America and Russia. The crimes committed by the Zionists can be compared in character, if not in scale to those of the Nazis, particularly ironic given the genocide perpatrated against the Jewish people in Europe during WW11.
Before you throw out the well worn charge, which I have heard so many times before, I am not, repeat not, anti semitic. The ultimate indeed the only solution is a two state one. Given what happened in Europe during the second world war, the Jewish people have a right to a state of their own, but so do the oppressed Palestinian people. Without the latter, there will never be peace in the region. Regarding your reference to Yassir Arafat, I have never met the man so I don't think he could be described as my friend. Unlike your government, I do not wish to dictate to the Palestinian people who their leader (President) should be. That is ultimately their decision.
Shalom (hopefully)
Oliver O'Driscoll
This same shouting match went on for ages on the main indymedia site untill one side who wanted to convince the other how much they hated them started posting WW2 nazi propaganda .Get over it!!!So you hate each other... that is your problem don't try infecting the rest of the world.It leads only to more frustration anger and hatred.If you were really looking for the truth you would understand that we are all confused and trying to survive in a world we have no control over,our one true option for mutual survival is to learn to share, to get on with each other,To allow all the illusions fall away and see the world as it is... then all this would be revealed as futile hurtful and never ending,There are no answers! your attempt at inventing them is only frustrating you,making you angry and more confused.Get over it free yourselves.
I made no reference to hatred in either of my two comments. I made a number of relevant points re the Middle East conflict. The individual whose interview was posted referred to his hatred for Yasser Arafat. The comment that was posted in reply to my initial remarks did not reply to the points I made. I do not hate either the interviewee or "Jonny" whoever he or she is.
I do however hate injustice, and I am definitely not confused.
I do not normally descend to the level of name calling, but on this occasion I will make an exception. Who on earth is this cretin who refers to spreading hatred. I am totally opposed to all forms of racism. I made a number of accurate and historically correct points re the records of Sharon, Peres, Begin and Shamir. The response was utter nonsense re Eamon Devalera, Celtic Tiger etc. etc. I doubt very if the person i.e. A.B. Yosh... is a member of the Israeli "far left", certainly the comrades I am aware of in Israel do not support the utterly racist policy of ethnic cleansing. Their policy is to support joint activites of Israelis and Palestinians against the Sharon regime. For the goals of a SOCIALIST Israel and a SOCIALIST Palestine.