Dear Fareed,
I knew it was only a matter of time before we got to the Middle East. How could I agree to do this without formulating a peace plan of my very own? Even if I had one, I am not sure I should tell you. Instead, maybe I’ll have Tom Friedman to tea and whisper it in his ear.
As you point out, despite the current fighting, there is something negotiate about. The problem is that there is only one thing—land. In most negotiations, there are a few items on the table. You get a little more land, I get a little more money. You get a better sales price, I get better financing terms.
In Israel, the land has taken on almost a holy significance. There is nothing worth trading for it. Palestinians carry pictures of houses that used to be owned by their parents in what is now Jerusalem. Israelis defend their ownership of a particular acre—no matter how they acquired it—because it has religious significance. If two parties lay claim to the same land and there is nothing else to trade, I don’t see how there can be a peace plan. About 10 years ago I spent a summer in Israel and I met Palestinians who had sold their land outside Jerusalem. Those people felt they had been robbed of their homes (and their heritage) because the price wasn’t right and they had no other choice. They still view their old house as their property. I also met Israelis who lived under siege in disputed territories but would not consider leaving because of the biblical significance of their address.
But the situation can’t continue as it is today. Israel is caught between being an advanced industrial nation that embraces democracy, freedom of speech, and equal opportunity and its role as an occupying force. When we read in the paper about the raids in neighborhoods where suspected terrorists live, you have to remember that it is within Israel’s borders. My gut response is always to wonder what it must be like to live as a Palestinian with those kinds of raids. But the real question is what this does to Israeli society. You brought up Algeria and the French. The Algeria question divided and weakened France for decades after it was all over. I wonder what Israel will look like if this goes on.
