topic by
John Calvin
7/16/2002 (15:09) |
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Former Israeli Shin Bet Head Speaks up for Peace
Excerpts from an interview by Le Monde of Ami Ayalon, former Director of Shin Bet, the Israeli internal intelligence and security agency.
FORMER SHIN BET HEAD SPEAKS UP ON NEED FOR PEACE, PART I: Ami Ayalon, who served as head of the Israeli internal security service, Shin Bet, from February 1996 to May 2000, gave a powerful interview to Le Monde at the end of December. During the course of his conversation with reporter Sylvain Cypel, he said, 'In Israel, nobody is dealing with reality anymore. It is the consequence of a flawed perception of the peace process and of the failure of Camp David. The Israelis were provided with a one-sided version: 'We were generous and they refused.' This is ridiculous. And everything that follows from this misperception is flawed...Since the 'turning point' of September 11th our leaders live in a state of euphoria. Finished are the international pressures on Israel-the way is open, they believe. This view obscures the consequences of our holding onto the Palestinian territories. And not only on the moral plane. Our state, in the spirit of its founders, has a reason to exist only if it furnishes a homeland for the Jewish people and if it is democratic. From these two perspectives, time is against us! Demographically, it [time] works for the Palestinians, and politically, in favor of Hamas and the settlers. But to fight against Hamas, it is necessary to evacuate the settlers, whose proximity with the Palestinians strengthens the hatred. Among the Palestinians, the weight of the Islamists is growing, and also that of the intellectuals who long favored the idea of two states, but now are saying 'since the Israelis will never evacuate the settlements, well, eventually there will be a binational state.' But I absolutely don't want this. This would no longer be a Jewish state. And if it remains a Jewish state, dominating an Arab population, it will no longer be democratic.' (Le Monde, 12/22/01)
FORMER SHIN BET HEAD SPEAKS UP ON NEED FOR PEACE, PART II: Ami Ayalon continued, 'Whatever the mistakes of Arafat, the Palestinian people will continue to exist. As long as the issue is not resolved, the region will not know stability. Only a Palestinian state will preserve the Jewish and democratic character of Israel...People here [in Israel] say that the Palestinians behave like 'madmen.' It is not madness, but a bottomless despair. As long as there was a peace process-and therefore the prospect of an end to the occupation-even with Netanyahu, Arafat could maneuver, incite violence or repress it to better negotiate. When there is no longer a peace process, the more one kills the terrorists, the more their camp gains strength. Yasir Arafat, contrary to what is hammered into us, neither prepared nor launched the Intifada. The explosion was spontaneous-against Israel, due to the absence of hope for the end of the occupation; and against the Palestinian Authority, its corruption, its impotence. Arafat could not repress it. What differentiates between [Arafat] appearing as a collaborator with the Israelis or as the head of the national liberation is the existence of the political process. Without it, Arafat cannot fight against the Islamists nor his own supporters. The Palestinians would end up hanging him in the public square.' (Le Monde, 12/22/01)
http://www.fmep.org
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