On its latest cover, Time magazine makes the startling assertion that Israel does not want peace, all in the midst of peace talks in Washington between President Obama, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
On the face of it, this assertion is meant to de-legitimize Israel as not a partner in peace and fuel concerns that the most recent talks are merely a show of smoke and mirrors.
However, the contents of the article (at least as much of it that’s available online) paint quite a different story. The author describes how Israelis are preoccupied with other issues, including economic development and education. Those issues, and not the peace process, are at the forefront of domestic politics, not to mention the Iranian nuclear threat. The author writes:
[T]he truth is, Israelis are no longer preoccupied with the matter. They’re otherwise engaged; they’re making money; they’re enjoying the rays of late summer. A watching world may still define their country by the blood feud with the Arabs whose families used to live on this land and whether that conflict can be negotiated away, but Israelis say they have moved on.
Now observing 2½ years without a single suicide bombing on their territory, with the economy robust and with souls a trifle weary of having to handle big elemental thoughts, the Israeli public prefers to explore such satisfactions as might be available from the private sphere, in a land first imagined as a utopia. “Listen to me,” says Eli Bengozi, born in Soviet Georgia and for 40 years an Israeli. “Peace? Forget about it. They’ll never have peace. Remember Clinton gave 99% to Arafat, and instead of them fighting for 1%, what? Intifadeh.”
In fact, this assertion is spot on, as I’ve often mentioned. Israelis and Palestinians alike are jaded by the peace process that has failed for decades. Instead of letting hope rise that this time there will finally be peace, Israelis are focusing on the things they have more control over, such as the economy. This growing cynicism toward the peace process is rooted in reality. Extremists on both sides have sabotaged any positive developments, and Hamas especially has already attempted to do the same with the latest round of talks.
The author fails to mention that Palestinians are also jaded and they aren’t prioritizing peace either. Neither side believes they have a legitimate partner and both remain skeptical that the most recent talks will amount to any tangible accomplishments, and rightfully so. Unfortunately, the title of the article implies that Israel is not willing to compromise, which is untrue. Israel is willing to discuss peace and possibly offer some concessions, but the mentality of the Israeli population is focusing on other areas. The mentality could change if a viable peace process is emerging, but until that happens, both Israeli and Palestinian societies are legitimately skeptical. What’s not needed is the media fueling inaccuracies that portray one side as an obstructionist — there are already enough extremists that will work hard to undermine peace talks.
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