is the title Michael Walzer gave to an article in the Fall 2002 issue of
Dissent.
The first is a Palestinian war to destroy the state of Israel.
The second is a Palestinian war to create an independent state alongside Israel, ending the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.
The third is an Israeli war for the security of Israel within the 1967 borders.
The fourth is an Israeli war for Greater Israel, for the settlements and the occupied territories.
I would hope that all members of this community would agree in supporting the second and third "wars" and opposing the first and fourth.
Personally -- as an American social democrat and long-time supporter of Peace Now (Shalom Achshav -- I have gone through the following stages regarding Arafat:
- from the late 1960s to the 1980s: abhorrence because of his terrorism, rejection of peace with Israel, and commitment to "armed struggle" as a strategy and not a tactic (to paraphrase the PLO Covenant).
- late 1980s to early 1990s: willingness to do business with him because of signals that he might be open to a two-state definitive peace agreement with Israel.
- 1993 to mid-2000: hope, decreasing with time, that he had turned the corner on willingness to make peace with Israel and would lead his people to a definitive peace agreement with Israel, including facing down his rejectionists (as David Ben Gurion did during Israel's War of Independence).
- mid-2000 to present: renewed abhorrence as it became clear that Arafat remained unwilling to negotiate such a peace agreement with Israel and was willing, in breach of his 1993 undertaking to Israel, to try violence to get his way. (By the way, I'm not saying Arafat had to accept unquestioningly what was on offer via President Clinton at Camp David in July or in D.C. in December, but I condemn him for not either agreeing to negotiate them or presenting a constructive alternative.)
What about Sharon, you may ask? I view him with fear and loathing. BUT
- I view Sharon's election in 2001 as a consequence of Arafat's rejectionism, which turned Barak into a political corpse.
- I think Sharon's plan for unilateral withdrawal from Gaza and a few northern West Bank settlements is a genuine opportunity.
- I believe a majority of Israelis still would support a definitive peace agreement with the Palestinians more-or-less along the lines of the Clinton Parameters, if they had good reason to believe the Palestinians were willing to do and honor such a deal. (Unfortunately, the most recent poll of Palestinian public opinion that I have seen -- here -- indicates plurality support for destroying Israel.)
- I hope a new Palestinian leadership will be committed to reaching such a peace agreement with Israel and will have the courage to lead/educate its population in that direction.