Mr. Oz ...ARAD, Israel - Later this month in Geneva, a
document will be formally presented outlining a
plan for peaceful coexistence of Palestinians and
Israelis in separate, adjoining states. The
politicians are already sniping.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak called
the proposal "a publicity gimmick." Current Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon demanded to know "by what
right are left-wing people proposing moves that
Israel can never do nor will ever do?"
There is no point at all to the hysteria that the
Geneva initiative's opponents are displaying. The
initiative's authors know very well that Sharon
and his Cabinet are the legal government of
Israel. They know that their plan, the fruit of two
years of negotiations conducted in strict secrecy
between Israeli and Palestinian citizens meeting
regularly, is no more than an exercise. But at a
time when the leadership on both sides was
unwilling or unable to move toward constructive
dialogue, an exercise seemed better than nothing.
Our goal was to present the Israeli and
Palestinian peoples with a window through which
they can view a different landscape, one without
car bombs and suicide bombers and occupation,
without oppression and expropriation, without endless war and hatred.
The Geneva initiative outlines a cautious solution that addresses each of
the thorny problems that have stalled past efforts.
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