Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., October 03, 2008 Tishrei 4, 5769 | | Israel Time: 15:53 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Better occupation than a partial peace By Aluf Benn Tags: Peace talks, Mahmoud Abbas  "It is possible to reach understandings with the Palestinians by the end of the year," says Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and proposes that the deal be hurried up and closed. "The proposals of my Israeli counterparts are a partial peace, and that is not the way to progress," replied Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Which of the two is telling the truth, and who is lying? Is a historic agreement to establish a Palestinian state in reach, or is it still far away? And how can it be that both leaders describe such different realities after all their meetings? The gap between Olmert's and Abbas' statements in recent days do not result from a lack of truthfulness, but rather a profound gap between two fundamental viewpoints. One is from Mars, the other from Venus. What one side presents as a concession, the other views as an insult or trick to avoid making a decision. That is how it has been since the very first days of the negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. Advertisement The Israeli approach, rooted in the beginnings of Jewish settlement in Israel, espouses progress through creating facts on the ground. That is how the state was founded and built. To paraphrase A. D. Gordon, another dunam, another goat, another kibbutz and another settlement; another tank and another Phantom, and then all of the land is in our hands. That is what Israel is offering the Palestinians. When we offer you something, take it, and then we will see how we progress further. Start with a small state, demilitarized and surrounded by fences and Israeli soldiers, and then we can see what comes later. The Palestinians have different ideas. They insist on the recognition of their "rights" as anchored in UN decisions, and then they will talk about details. First Israel should recognize the principles of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, without any security constraints and with East Jerusalem as its capital; Israel should also recognize the refugees' right of return and compensation payments for the occupation, and then we will see how to implement it. Like Yasser Arafat eight years ago, Abbas rejects the Israeli proposal and insists that occupation is preferable to a partial peace. Either the Palestinians receive full sovereignty over their state, or they will continue to wait at the roadblocks. Israelis find it hard to understand this maximalist approach. After all, Abbas is complaining about the expansion of the settlements and the theft of Palestinian land: Why doesn't he settle for less than his full aspirations, and in the meantime force Israel to stop construction in the settlements and start the retreat from the West Bank? The Palestinians reply that they have already given up 78 percent of their historic homeland, and are not willing to compromise on less than the remaining 22 percent in the West Bank and Gaza. They present their case using maps of the Land of Israel showing how Palestinian territory has gradually shrunk from the entire country during the British Mandate to today's enclaves, closed off by fences and roadblocks. They have forgotten that between the various maps, their leadership turned down offers of partition and decided to go to war - and lost. "The shelf agreement" Olmert is offering them is not as good as the "permanent agreement" prime minister Ehud Barak offered them in 2000, mostly because in the meantime the Palestinians lost the second intifada, and Fatah lost Gaza to Hamas. That is the price of failure. The Palestinians are using as their model the end of British colonial rule in India, Asia and Africa: full independence and a complete withdrawal of the foreign presence. But that is not the only model for ending an occupation. In Ireland a religious and nationalistic dispute has been going on for hundreds of years. After the Irish revolt during World War I, the British offered to end their rule of the neighboring island. The agreement, reached finally in 1921, promised the Irish approximately what Olmert is offering Abbas today. The British kept their "settlement blocs" in Northern Ireland, and Irish sovereignty in the south remained under the auspices of the empire based in London. The British fleet continued to control Irish ports. The compromise produced a civil war in which the Irish leader, Michael Collins, was murdered after he signed the agreement with Britain. His great rival, Eamon de Valera, the Irish Ben-Gurion, retreated from his maximalist position. After gaining power, de Valera gradually freed himself from the remaining signs of British control in the southern part of Ireland and brought it to complete independence. The north remained in British hands and the strife reawakened, until only a few years ago it ended in a tense peace. In the meantime, the Republic of Ireland has enjoyed its freedom and prosperity. If it had stuck to the approach of "everything or nothing" of Arafat and Abbas, it would have remained under British occupation until now. Israel learned the lesson of "revealing Arafat's true face" at Camp David, and out of fear of destroying the negotiations, Israel is not portraying Abbas as a devious peace rejectionist - even though his positions are the same as those of his predecessor. This way it is possible to keep on talking, but that is not enough to reach an agreement. For a breakthrough, we have to understand the basic differences between the sides - and try to bridge the gap between Mars and Venus. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Rise in anti-Semitism ADL warns financial crisis is causing upsurge in anti-Jewish activity on the internet. Bubbes for Obama Comedian posts video calling on Jews to lobby Florida grandparents to vote Obama.   1.   Is it Hard to comprehend that the Arabs Want All of Israel 07:54  |  Baruch Gold 25/09/08   2.   What Palestinian Homeland?! 10:36  |  Zev Davis 25/09/08   3.   The Palestinians simply don`t trust Israel anymore..... 10:48  |  Swiss (Dino) 25/09/08   4.   Aluf, what a load of bollucks 11:00  |  Palestinian in UK 25/09/08   5.   Aluf, youdon`t know how we feel! 11:03  |  Bandar Michaels 25/09/08   6.   #1 11:13  |  Dave 25/09/08   7.   Aluf, you don`t know how we feel! 11:14  |  Bandar Michaels 25/09/08   8.   North Ireland is not a good analogy 11:16  |  roberto 25/09/08   9.   What exactly is full peace? Israel occupied by millions of Arabs? 11:19  |  PETER SM 25/09/08   10.   Imagine that Baruch ! 11:21  |  Sean 25/09/08   11.   Michael Collins and Lloyd George 11:37  |  SD 25/09/08   12.   why occupation is preferable 11:55  |  SD 25/09/08   13.   so bandar, when barak offered 20% out of 22% 11:56  |  gideon 25/09/08   14.   If there is not two states then the solution is one state 12:09  |  Petteri 25/09/08   15.   SEAN Actualy Jews lived there continuously for thousands of yrs 12:21  |  PETER SM 25/09/08   16.   There is NO occupation in Gaza. Why then 12:44  |  Rachel 25/09/08   17.   # 1 baruch 12:48  |  Axel 25/09/08   18.   Where this article goes wrong.... 12:53  |  Johnboy 25/09/08   19.   What the Israelis prefer to ignore ........ 12:59  |  Arthur 25/09/08   20.   Read the talkbackers ... 13:15  |  Murray 25/09/08   21.   swiss dino you do not allow moslems in geneva 13:18  |  swisswatch 25/09/08   22.   it is not just a matter of retreat from the west bank 13:30  |  judah 25/09/08   23.   #13 He didn`t offer 20%, Gideon. 13:35  |  Johnboy 25/09/08   24.   The Palestinian grab list 13:57  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 25/09/08   25.   johnboy and the new jew hatred 14:08  |  yair 25/09/08   26.   JOHNBOY Garbage.Just one illustration of your lies on this 14:30  |  PETER SM 25/09/08   27.   Facts for Peter SM 14:55  |  Sean 25/09/08   28.   zeev makes a deal 15:16  |  judah 25/09/08   29.   zeev the dealmaker 15:18  |  judah 25/09/08   30.   zeev plays poker with israel`s future 15:21  |  judah 25/09/08   31.   SEAN Facts 1.Balfour decleration(1926) preceeded the Nazis. 15:28  |  PETER SM 25/09/08   32.   john boy , you have been mislead 15:29  |  gideon 25/09/08   33.   Bogus comparison to Ireland situation 16:00  |  Kevin Kavanagh 25/09/08   34.   #26 How to point this out gently to PETER SM? 16:11  |  Johnboy 25/09/08   35.   #9; Bandar Michaels, What country????? 16:14  |  DOC HOLLIDAY 25/09/08   36.   #25 yair dives into the last refuge of the zionist scoundrel 16:29  |  Johnboy 25/09/08   37.   The inconvenient fact 16:39  |  Murray 25/09/08   38.   #2 Zev Davis 16:52  |  THK 25/09/08   39.   johnboy and arafat 17:14  |  yair 25/09/08   40.   Comparing Israel to the British Empire is a joke 17:21  |  Joe 25/09/08   41.   its not about occupation or everything 17:27  |  maria 25/09/08   42.   johnboy not far from us in algeria 17:35  |  yair 25/09/08   43.   You all miss the point 17:46  |  John 25/09/08   44.   #37 Murray for Milan 18:04  |  THK 25/09/08   45.   #33 kevin is wrong and the aim was to get the whole of ireland 18:32  |  victor hardman 25/09/08   46.   Exploring the Irish Analogy 20:05  |  Mark of Lewiston 25/09/08   47.   No. 40 Joe 20:34  |  Gerald 25/09/08   48.   Completely Wrong both of you. 20:48  |  Kevin Kavanagh 25/09/08   49.   #23, Off course Johnboy the continent-grabber mentions Israel 20:53  |  Jake 25/09/08   50.   48 Kevin Kavanagh - More Agreement than Not 21:34  |  Mark of Lewiston 25/09/08   51.   Liek a lot of these articles 21:38  |  Dave Duncan 25/09/08   52.   Whar problem?? 21:48  |  Mikesailor 25/09/08   53.   IF, the occupied territories legally belonged to Israel 21:54  |  American in NY 25/09/08   54.   #53 American in NY 23:47  |  Joe 25/09/08   55.   #32 Lay off the Hasbarah history books, gideon 00:53  |  Johnboy 26/09/08   56.   #39 Repeating a lie does not make it true, yair 00:58  |  Johnboy 26/09/08   57.   Oslo was a partial agreement. And Israel used it 01:13  |  Diane M 26/09/08   58.   A peace treaty with "Palestinians" has as much to offer Israel as 01:50  |  Chaim 26/09/08   59.   Aluf misleads the public 01:51  |  harry 26/09/08   60.   AM in NY Attributing motives without evidence.Pal charters are.! 02:00  |  PETER SM 26/09/08   61.   Bandar Michaels Don`t be such a big baby cry 05:01  |  RW 26/09/08   62.   AM in NY Olmert publicly said the oppositte of what you claim 05:03  |  PETER SM 26/09/08   63.   Abbas and Olmert 05:55  |  Arnold Ghitis 26/09/08   64.   HAHA! 05:58  |  Paul 26/09/08   65.   Misleading 06:02  |  Paul 26/09/08   66.   #32 Put down the Hasbarah History Books, Gideon 06:31  |  Johnboy 26/09/08   67.   #35 DOC asks a number of questions 07:08  |  Johnboy 26/09/08   68.   What is "Hasbarah"? Simply "Explanation" 09:24  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 26/09/08   69.   American in NY on occupied Manhattan? 09:29  |  Joe Sittizen 26/09/08   70.   Dave, #6 09:46  |  Michael 26/09/08   71.   #68 Margie asks "what`s in a name" 09:51  |  Johnboy 26/09/08   72.   JOHNBOY PT 2.ROSS was there! Arafat refused Jerusalem etc 09:58  |  PETER SM 26/09/08   73.   Kevin: #33 10:10  |  Michael 26/09/08   74.   phony irish analogy 11:34  |  raymond deane 26/09/08   75.   Better parrtial occupation than no peace 11:34  |  Sardaukar 26/09/08   76.   #72 Yes, of course Ross was there, PETER SM 11:48  |  Johnboy 26/09/08   77.   Michael, you are wrong 19:22  |  Kevin Kavanagh 26/09/08   78.   # 13 gideon 00:39  |  Axel 27/09/08   79.   #76 Here`s some essential reading for you, PETER SM 05:05  |  Johnboy 27/09/08   80.   RW and Arabian Beduin Tribes 12:28  |  Bandar Michaels 27/09/08   81.   Joe Sittizen #69 Lebensraum & sippenhaft a closer comparison 17:40  |  American in NY 27/09/08   82.   #67:Johnboy, And you answered those questions, Thanks 20:05  |  DOC HOLLIDAY 27/09/08   83.   #82 DOC retcons his question 02:53  |  Johnboy 28/09/08   84.   As LONG AS ARABS WON`T COMPROMISE THEY`LL GET ZERO 06:13  |  DR ERIC 28/09/08   85.   TIME IS TOTALLY ON ISRAEL`S SIDE 06:18  |  DR ERIC 28/09/08   86.   ARABS SAID NO TO PEACE IN 47, 67, 2000 06:20  |  DR ERIC 28/09/08   87.   NO WAY TO ARAB STATE IN 67 BORDERS!!! 06:27  |  DR ERIC 28/09/08   88.   #83; Johnboy, Your right about one thing 21:51  |  DOC HOLLIDAY 28/09/08   89.   #88 DOC is dogmatic! 05:08  |  Johnboy 29/09/08   90.   #89;Johnboy, you misunderstand the term 13:52  |  DOC HOLLIDAY 29/09/08   91.   #90 Laughable, DOC 16:13  |  Johnboy 29/09/08   92.   #90 Oh, and BTW, DOC..... 16:21  |  Johnboy 29/09/08   93.   Still not got it, Doc? 19:13  |  Murray 29/09/08   94.   #91: Sorry Johnboy your wrong, again 04:46  |  DOC HOLLIDAY 30/09/08   95.   #93;Murry, I correct mistakes, if that offends, truth hurts 05:02  |  DOC HOLLIDAY 30/09/08   96.   #94 DOC never rebutts; he simply shouts over the top. 09:02  |  Johnboy 30/09/08   97.   #94 DOS still won`t address the point made 09:19  |  Johnboy 30/09/08   98.   #96:Johnboy, your insistence doesn`t make it so 13:58  |  DOC HOLLIDAY 01/10/08   99.   #98 One more time for an obtuse little man 13:51  |  Johnboy 02/10/08   100.   Lots of time DR ERIK 20:34  |  Willie 02/10/08   101.   #99:Johnboy, I did make the point, you just missed it. 15:13  |  DOC HOLLIDAY 03/10/08

Read & React ADL: Financial crisis sparking anti-Semitic upsurge on Internet Responses: 122 Yoel Marcus: Israel won't top agenda for either McCain or Obama Responses: 7 Claude Kandiyoti: A red line is needed between Jews, Israel Responses: 18 Hezbollah: Ghajar, Shaba Farms will soon be liberated Responses: 20 Daniel Levy: Over to you, Livni Responses: 1 Amos Schocken: Why did Olmert wage war on the Supreme Court? Send response More Headlines 13:18 Hezbollah: Ghajar, Shaba Farms will soon be freed 14:58 Biden: Bush Mideast policy a failure; Palin: Mideast will top our agenda 14:54 OPINION / Israel won't top the agenda for Obama or McCain 15:45 Syria denies UN nuclear watchdog access to military sites 12:58 Astronaut Ilan Ramon's diary put on display in Jerusalem 14:31 Settlers clash with rabbis guarding Palestinian olive harvest near Hebron 10:11 From The Fringe, Post II / Israel and modern-day slavery 13:30 NEW ON HAARETZ.COM / Play the news: Build your own Israeli government 07:16 ADL: Financial crisis sparking anti-Semitic upsurge on Internet 14:12 El Al plane bound for Tel Aviv returns to Beijing after bird strike 07:22 Marines '83 Beirut chief: Mughniyeh killing 'overdue justice' 07:24 After outpost evacuation, settler youth say 'don't mess with us' 07:26 Ramallah real estate boom sends prices skyrocketing 14:13 Rightists accuse Shin Bet of provoking attack on Prof. Sternhell 05:51 Danish Jews mark anniversary of evacuation that saved community 00:53 VIDEO / Comic tells U.S. Jews to make sure their bubbes vote Obama 06:50 French panel to probe shooting of Palestinian boy Mohammed al-Dura in 2000 Previous Editions Select Day 02 oct 01 oct 30 sep 29 sep 28 sep 26 sep 25 sep 24 sep 23 sep 22 sep 21 sep 19 sep

Special Offers Advertisement Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. Dial 013 for your long-distance calls and get all your money back US CITIZENS Vote for real change. Request your ballot today! Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Jewish Singles Personal Ads Find the love of your life on JDate.com Israel's Premier Real Estate Website www. israel-property.com Hebrew Summer courses From $39.95 Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel

birthright Israel | Search engine marketing

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved