Subscribe to Print Edition | Mon., May 26, 2008 Iyyar 21, 5768 | | Israel Time: 02:21 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Peres Conference Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

Peace of no choice By Zvi Bar'el Tags: Ehud Olmert, Syria, Israel  There is still something encouraging in the unending effort to reject as impractical the peace process in general, and with the Syrians in particular. Because such rejection is not based on a lack of a need for peace, or its high cost and the absence of threats. The realization of the peace process is a figment of our imagination, say the rejectionists, because the leaders are not adequate. The encouraging element here is the recognition that the leadership that must deal with the most important element of the country's existence is pathetic. Thus, the next time we want peace, we will be wise enough to select a leader with a more advanced technical makeup  a sort of Ben-Gurion. Regarding war, by the way, we do not have such high requirements. Every average leader or less can, from our point of view, start one. Since only super-leaders with enormous charisma and deep insight are capable of making peace, Ehud Olmert, Bashar Assad and Recep Tayyip Erdogan are disqualified. Olmert's drowning in a sea of investigations needs no proof. For his part, Assad lost Lebanon, trapped himself in an unhealthy relationship with Iran, separated Syria from the United States and managed to pick a fight with nearly every Arab state. Erdogan has a short fuse and a big mouth, of the sort that may be his and his party's demise because it is on trial for revoking the law barring women from wearing head scarfs. Each of these leaders invested a significant amount of stupidity to put himself where he is, and all three are like circus illusionists who disappear after they perform their "peace trick." What we face, say the wise ones, is nothing more than a public-relations spin, and we are well-versed in dealing with spin. Advertisement However, in this well-tested, routine equation, which asserts that peace at the moment is mere spin, the most important element has gone missing. The peace process, whether with the Palestinians or the Syrians, did not arise because of the leaders, but in spite of them. One intifada that broke out because the Palestinian people were unwilling to bear the conditions of their existence led to the Oslo Accords. One recalls that the agreement was shaped not by the leaders but by the dreamers. The disengagement from the Gaza Strip was seen at the time as a huge act by a statesman, but it resulted from unbearable circumstances in which half the army protected some 7,000 settlers. The negotiations between Olmert and Mahmoud Abbas resulted from the second intifada, as are the negotiations with Hamas. As such, if it is "accepted" that the sides are talking because of their difficult circumstances, and not because of their wisdom, then it is precisely these circumstances that can lead the processes to fruition. The spin, on the basis of this hopeful thought, has a life of its own. According to the spin theory, each of the leaders is holding on to the peace process to extricate himself from his difficult circumstances. Olmert aspires to become untouchable, Assad wants to be the new Arab hero, and Erdogan needs to prove to secular Turks that he can provide Turkey with a regional stature that no one before him has achieved. Their difficulties may prove to be the mother of all inventions, and under the right circumstances can also offer various strategic results. One of them is a change in the definitions. For example, instead of that worn-out concept that war is a last resort, a new outlook will be adopted that will say peace is the result of no alternatives, both on the personal level for those leaders needing a lifeline, and certainly on the national level. Olmert or Assad, weak leaders who sit in the swamps they have made for themselves, do not need to raise doubts about their ability to make peace. After all, they are precisely the sort of leaders to whom we have no problem attributing a willingness (read, madness) to go to war because of their difficulties. They are the ones capable of convincing us during a televised address that the upcoming war is necessary, unavoidable a war of no choice. Luckily, they are in a different position. Because of their difficulties they talk of peace or at least of negotiations to achieve peace. It is best to take them seriously  to force them to adhere to their own spin and make them play it out. They can. These are leaders who no longer have anything to lose Bookmark to del.icio.us   Jet error Israeli warplanes come close to shooting down Tony Blair's plane. Rehab (live) Report: Singer Amy Winehouse is to undergo drug rehab in Israel.   1.   I think Zvi Bar`el is right about the emptiness 19:06  |  Diane Mason 25/05/08

Read & React Israel denies entry to high-profile critic Norman Finkelstein Responses: 435 Sources: 'Olmert's indictment is just a matter of time' Responses: 45 Shmuel Rosner: Pastor Hagee was trying to stop 'second Holocaust' Responses: 107 Iranian-born Israeli charged with passing information to Tehran Responses: 65 More Headlines 20:56 Shin Bet: Hamas rockets could hit far beyond Ashkelon 18:04 Fearing Gaza rockets, IDF moves troops, civilian staff from Erez 19:49 New Lebanese President calls for renewal of ties with Syria 18:30 Iranian-born Israeli charged with passing information to Tehran 21:41 Sarkozy to FM: Hamas talks were mistake that won't happen again 20:28 Iranian defense minister hails 'strategic ties' with Syria 21:59 Netanyahu, on Syria talks: Peace with dictatorial state won't last 20:30 Black-Jewish tensions heat up as Crown Heights teeters on brink of violence 20:10 Police question Talansky, pass on evidence to Olmert's attorneys 20:17 Palestinians reject Israeli offer to keep 8.5 percent of West Bank 16:55 'Shampoo' meets 'Munich': New Adam Sandler film stars Mossad hit man turned hairdresser 18:32 Water Authority mulls drastic cuts due to low reservoir levels 17:53 Report: Avram Grant favorite for manager at Manchester City 20:40 Israeli businessman's London home up for sale for $232 million Previous Editions Select Day 25 may 23 may 22 may 21 may 20 may 19 may 18 may 16 may 15 may 14 may 13 may 12 may

Special Offers Advertisement Dead Sea Products Buy Dead Sea mineral skin care and beauty products. Coupon code Haaretz for 10% off. Your vacation starts here Israel Travel Center Guaranteed Lowest Rates Istudy Learn Hebrew in 3 months The Terraces Your Ultimate Coastal Address On Nitza Boulevard, North Netanya Together Celebrating Israel's 60th The Jewish Agency and You - together making history Pardes Institute Summer Sessions http://www.pardes.org.il/ Free the Palestinians from: Corrupt Kleptocracy, Tyrannical Theocracy, Abysmal Anarchy Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. ISRAEL BONDS Build Israel Israel bonds - a multi-purpose way to celebrate Israel's 60th Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations 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

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