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Seeking peace by stealth
By Jerrold Kessel and Pierre Klochendler

The Israeli people and the radical Islamists of Hamas loathe each other. Moreover, both loathe the prospect of any renewed negotiations to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

They are the only two major Middle East parties who do not see any political horizon out of the Saudi peace initiative. Both regard as basically irrelevant a plan that grants full Arab and Muslim acceptance of Israel in return for Israel returning all lands it has occupied for 40 years and accepting East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine.

Given such strong disillusion with peacemaking among Israelis and such entrenched distrust of negotiations on the part of Hamas, can anyone, primarily the United States, save the Saudi initiative from again being shunted aside, as it was five years ago when it was launched at an Arab summit meeting in Beirut?
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In Riyadh, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas spoke forthrightly: "We extend a genuine hand of peace to the Israeli people. We wait for them to grasp it."

In response, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert suggests a regional peace conference.

Yet, despite Israel's normally lively political discourse, the Saudi initiative does not seem to engage Israelis at all. Is this silence a death knell for peacemaking?

If, like Hamas, the Israeli people are not interested in hearing the buzz of peace in the air, could that not be a good thing? Maybe it is precisely what peacemakers should be looking for.

Out in the open, peacemaking stands no chance. Extremist positions, emotional attitudes and scare tactics by opponents would hold sway. The negotiating leaders would be constrained and would have to meet the toughest benchmarks. Each side would have to hunker down in its own bastion, attempts to reach common ground woulod be doomed to fail.

We have been there before. This is partly why both the Israeli people and Hamas are blase with regard to the peace process.

Recall, however, each previous instance when Israelis were not asked beforehand to endorse a sweeping break with entrenched positions: peace with Anwar Sadat's Egypt, the 1993 Oslo Accords, even Ariel Sharon's 2005 unilateral handover of the Gaza Strip. Public approval was obtained for each breakthrough, but only after the agreement was concluded.

Now is not the time to convince the Israeli people that this is "a historic opportunity." (That can come later.) Instead, what is called for, to use the term of Hebrew University historian Steven Aschheim, is peace by stealth. Until a real deal materializes, peacemaking needs to be off the radar. Let peace remain a mirage for now.

Prior to the Riyadh summit, there was a wise collective mea culpa expressed by Jordan's prime minister, Marouf al-Bakhit. We, the Arab moderates, he suggested, have failed dismally in convincing the Israeli people that the Saudi plan is infinitely better for them than the internationally-backed road map for peace.

How right Bakhit is. Arab declarations of good intentions no longer convince most Israelis.

It works the other way, too. Palestinians are not persuaded by declarations of Israeli good intentions. They, too, have lost faith in peace.

Only after stealth negotiations are crowned with an agreement in principle should the oath of silence be broken. To convert a secret agreement into workable reality, shock treatment will be needed to win public approval and to overcome skeptics and doomsayers.

Rebuilding confidence in peace can only occur if Palestinians and Israelis alike have their respective credos shaken to the core. That can only be made to happen by grand, myth-defying acts of historical dimension: On the Israeli side, say, to reverse (not merely freeze) settlement building in the West Bank, and on the Arab side, say, to undertake an audacious act akin to Sadat's earth-shattering visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and to the Knesset in Jerusalem.

It may be hyperbole to call the Riyadh meeting the final chance for Middle East peacemaking. It is no exaggeration, however, to say that a double-barreled negotiating strategy of stealth and audacity would radically reverse the prevailing gloom and usher in the one thing the Middle East has yet to experience - a durable, comprehensive peace.

Jerrold Kessel and Pierre Klochendler are Jerusalem-based reporters and documentary filmmakers. This piece appeared in The International Herald Tribune of April 3, 2007.
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  1.   What Kessel conveniently omits 13:01  |  Yonatan 06/04/07
  2.   Acts of Peace? 13:13  |  FOX 06/04/07
  3.   Kessel you`re half blind or half Jewish 13:14  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 06/04/07
  4.   WHY ARE WE ALWAYS PLAGUED WITH MYOPIC JEWISH IDIOTS ?? 13:37  |  paul harris 06/04/07
  5.   Surrendering territories is a stupid, stupid policy 13:46  |  Joe 06/04/07
  6.   Israel must demand full recognition before any negotiations 13:49  |  Joe 06/04/07
  7.   Kessel`s advise is deluded, irrational, unstable, silly 13:51  |  LSD makes us fly 06/04/07
  8.   Abbas extends the hand of Hamas to Israelis 13:54  |  Joe 06/04/07
  9.   The Saudi annihilation plan again 13:54  |  Jonathan S 06/04/07
  10.   stealth.,audacity........and? 13:55  |  ravi 06/04/07
  11.   joe no 6 14:04  |  ravi 06/04/07
  12.   I know Jerrold Kessel 14:14  |  KA 06/04/07
  13.   While working for the CNN Kessel constantly bashed Israel 14:48  |  Absolute Sweden 06/04/07
  14.   Yonathan, Margie etc 14:55  |  A.M. 06/04/07
  15.   About myopic jewish idiots 15:01  |  A.M. 06/04/07
  16.   Israel jumps into the sea 15:20  |  Fritz 06/04/07
  17.   #1, Yonathan 15:28  |  Burkhardt 06/04/07
  18.   What is your advice exactly? 15:43  |  Fed Up 06/04/07
  19.   Stealth ? 15:49  |  JK 06/04/07
  20.   #6 Joe 15:55  |  Labhras 06/04/07
  21.   To kessell.. 16:23  |  John Allen 06/04/07
  22.   Peace nudniks 16:26  |  Sam 06/04/07
  23.   It would help 16:45  |  Danite 06/04/07
  24.   As a general rule 16:47  |  Danite 06/04/07
  25.   Disgusting the way Kessel blames "Israeli people" 16:52  |  McQueen 06/04/07
  26.   So long as those who hate peace 16:54  |  Mark Lincoln 06/04/07
  27.   Kessel isn`t worth it 17:15  |  Proud Zionist 06/04/07
  28.   conspiracy 17:16  |  david 06/04/07
  29.   alwaus liked jerrold kessel 17:22  |  flashman 06/04/07
  30.   How about Islamic Generosity? 17:36  |  Alain 06/04/07
  31.   OK THERE IS PEACE BUT THEN WHAT??? 17:44  |  alonitzafoni 06/04/07
  32.   talks for raping minds 17:48  |  Atilla Karagozoglu 06/04/07
  33.   Speaking to the wrong Israeli leaders 18:08  |  Tosefta 06/04/07
  34.   Great Saudi offer should be accepted 18:09  |  Tosefta 06/04/07
  35.   B.S. 18:14  |  citizen zero 06/04/07
  36.   Yonatan #1 is exactly right 18:16  |  Jason 06/04/07
  37.   to JK #14 18:19  |  Harald 06/04/07
  38.   jerrold old son you weren`t born here 18:46  |  flashman 06/04/07
  39.   good question alonittzafoni 18:49  |  flashman 06/04/07
  40.   alonittfoni israel and europe 18:51  |  flashman 06/04/07
  41.   Labhras # 15 I Agree 18:58  |  Jeff Northridge 06/04/07
  42.   Response to #26 19:06  |  JK 06/04/07
  43.   Tosefta- Reminds me of the Jews I used to see on Jordanian TV 19:36  |  Sam 06/04/07
  44.   The Arrogant Aristocracy of Stealth 19:55  |  Jeff Northridge 06/04/07
  45.   On the contrary, now is exactly the right time. 20:02  |  Tzfonit 06/04/07
  46.   #31 Jeff Nortridge. 20:05  |  Labhras 06/04/07
  47.   Great Saudi offer should be accepted 20:06  |  Tosefta 06/04/07
  48.   canada sam on tosefta 20:25  |  flashman 06/04/07
  49.   That`s Difficult To Do, al-Bakhit 20:28  |  Jeff Northridge 06/04/07
  50.   Kessel - Even A Worse Analyst than Reporter 20:28  |  Tod Zuckerman 06/04/07
  51.   #34 Sam Van Winkle 20:42  |  Tosefta 06/04/07
  52.   To hell with "peace making". Israel needs victory! 20:47  |  Chaim 06/04/07
  53.   #34 Sam 21:32  |  randy 06/04/07
  54.   #32 Jeff Northridge 21:36  |  Labhras 06/04/07
  55.   #36 Tosefta Is van winkle "ripped". 21:42  |  Labhras 06/04/07
  56.   #37 Chaim 21:44  |  Labhras 06/04/07
  57.   Good idea 21:50  |  Danite 06/04/07
  58.   Dummies talking to dummies 21:52  |  Danite 06/04/07
  59.   Tosefta- Canada has newspapers too 22:01  |  Sam 06/04/07
  60.   Entire conflict explained in less than 20 lines 22:02  |  MG 06/04/07
  61.   Jeff Northridge 22:07  |  Danite 06/04/07
  62.   Labhras # 39 What Does The Press Have To Do With It? 22:43  |  Jeff Northridge 06/04/07
  63.   Our verbally diarrhetic "flushman"; aka The Hydra 23:06  |  Tosefta 06/04/07
  64.   I`M 4 PEACE 23:16  |  Arik 06/04/07
  65.   #42.Jeff N. There certainly are many ways to interprete 23:54  |  Fairman 06/04/07
  66.   #52 Jeff Northridge 00:06  |  Labhras 07/04/07
  67.   Jeff Northridge re Labhras 00:43  |  Danite 07/04/07
  68.   #42 Rerun of the famed Jeff Northridge Slapstick Show 03:06  |  Tosefta 07/04/07
  69.   Fairman # 55 The Notion Comes From The Arabs Themselves 03:53  |  Jeff Northridge 07/04/07
  70.   Kessel:you are skirting around the issues 04:05  |  Daniel Leopold 07/04/07
  71.   Saudi Plan 07:28  |  tbart 07/04/07
  72.   Idiots all! 09:05  |  Zero 07/04/07
  73.   #67 danite /flushman/hydra etc 12:07  |  Labhras 07/04/07
  74.   #69 Jeff Northridge 13:51  |  Labhras 07/04/07
  75.   tzfonit #45 15:02  |  GABE1 07/04/07
  76.   #72 ZERO PLEASE DONT READ THIS !! 15:19  |  paul harris 07/04/07
  77.   #74 LAB-ARSE CRACKS THE EASTER EGGS !! 15:24  |  paul harris 07/04/07
  78.   Opportunity ????? 15:55  |  Serge 07/04/07
  79.   2 reasons for rejecting Saudi plan 16:40  |  Jak 07/04/07
  80.   LAB RAT #74 17:00  |  bracha kahba 07/04/07
  81.   LAB RAT #73 17:06  |  Bracha kahba 07/04/07
  82.   Tosefta # 68 Slapstick Rules (part 1) 17:07  |  Jeff Northridge 07/04/07
  83.   Tosefta # 68 Slapstick Rules (part 2) 17:30  |  Jeff Northridge 07/04/07
  84.   why is it that the irish are such big anti semites? 17:38  |  oreilly 07/04/07
  85.   why is it that the irish in new york have all ended up 17:39  |  oreilly 07/04/07
  86.   what will ireland do when the money from the eu stops being 17:42  |  oreilly 07/04/07
  87.   can the chinese outsource their spud production 17:43  |  oreilly 07/04/07
  88.   To J.Kesel.....SEEKING PEACE???. 18:24  |  Kath` 07/04/07
  89.   Jerrold Kessel and Pierre Klochendler. HAVE SOME GUMPTION AND .. 18:40  |  Kath` 07/04/07
  90.   Great article - Seeking Peace by Stealth 19:39  |  Smadar 07/04/07
  91.   Now, now Danite (#23)....no losers in the ME. 20:09  |  Smadar 07/04/07
  92.   idiots all....zero..72 20:42  |  ravi 07/04/07
  93.   a convention of priests in limerick august 2008 21:13  |  dodgypriest 07/04/07
  94.   smadar you are not a very good joke teller 21:17  |  yawn 07/04/07
  95.   Tosefta`s idiocy 21:19  |  FOX 07/04/07
  96.   on stealth 21:38  |  Yonatan 07/04/07
  97.   the corrupt irish prime minister charles haughey 21:42  |  oreilly 07/04/07
  98.   Give credit to public opinion 21:46  |  Joel in Albany 07/04/07
  99.   racism in the emerald isle 21:51  |  oreilly 07/04/07
  100.   What return of Lands? Half a million Israelis live in Yesha? 22:34  |  Moshe 07/04/07
  101.   "I`d Love to Teach the World to sing...." 22:46  |  FOX 07/04/07
  102.   #69 Jeff. You are wrong a g a i n . 23:33  |  Fairman 07/04/07
  103.   CORRECTION #91 to joke 00:07  |  Smadar 08/04/07
  104.   FOX # 95 Don`t Get Mad, Get Even 00:20  |  Jeff Northridge 08/04/07
  105.   Rabid Fox on the loose #95 01:21  |  Tosefta 08/04/07
  106.   Smadar 01:23  |  Danite 08/04/07
  107.   Facts vs. Slapstick (Jeff Northridge #82,3) 01:23  |  Tosefta 08/04/07
  108.   Toseftas changing tunes 01:26  |  Danite 08/04/07
  109.   Lbrahas 01:29  |  Danite 08/04/07
  110.   Fairman # 100 Wrong Am I? 02:03  |  Jeff Northridge 08/04/07
  111.   FOX and Assad 02:13  |  Danite 08/04/07
  112.   False Symmetry (first phrase) begets False Logic 02:16  |  Logician 08/04/07
  113.   Jeff Northridge re Tosefta 02:19  |  GABE1 08/04/07
  114.   #110. Jeff , Please Focus on REALITY. 03:16  |  Fairman 08/04/07
  115.   Tosefta # 106 Here`s Some Facts For You Too (part 1) 03:19  |  Jeff Northridge 08/04/07
  116.   #110 Jeff Northridge; Thanks for Slapstick encore (re Fairman) 03:37  |  Tosefta 08/04/07
  117.   Tosefta # 106 Here`s Some Facts For You Too (part 2) 03:57  |  Jeff Northridge 08/04/07
  118.   The "beautiful bride" is ugly, and she is taken 04:35  |  Ibrahim Shvonce 08/04/07
  119.   Pay careful attention to wording Danite 05:12  |  Mark Lincoln 08/04/07
  120.   Tosefta # 116 Take Your Ultimatum And Shove It! 05:14  |  Jeff Northridge 08/04/07
  121.   #115, 7 Jeff Northridge and facts? 05:17  |  Tosefta 08/04/07
  122.   Mark Lincoln and the power of denial 06:15  |  Danite 08/04/07
  123.   Tosefta # 121 I Couldn`t Care Less 06:49  |  Jeff Northridge 08/04/07
  124.   # 122 face it, danite 09:55  |  eric 08/04/07
  125.   Number of Alleged Palistan "Refugees" 11:47  |  Paqid 16 Netzarim 08/04/07
  126.   # 101 FOX AND THE SONG,AND THE TURKS... 02:00  |  Kath` 09/04/07
  127.   # 107 Tosefta. YOUR CHANGE OF HEART..... 02:56  |  Kath` 09/04/07
  128.   Acts of Progress 22:55  |  Xplicitman 09/04/07
  129.   Pierre Klochendler 01:06  |  Hephzibah Kaplan 17/05/07
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Responses: 101
Peres: Arab peace plan - an opening for real progress
Responses: 73
IDF soldier jailed for yawning during Rabin memorial service
Responses: 88
Ari Shavit: Israel needs a successor to Rabin
Responses: 3


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