Newsgroups: talk.politics.mideast
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news.harvard.edu!noc.near.net!uunet!ulowell!cs.ulowell.edu!cshi
From: cshi@cs.ulowell.edu (Godada Shi)
Subject: Pease without justice cann't last Re: Last Opportunity for Peace
Message-ID: <C6xKnC.285@ulowell.ulowell.edu>
Sender: usenet@ulowell.ulowell.edu (News manager - ulowell)
Organization: UMass-Lowell Computer Science
References: <1993Apr30.083345.15696@nuscc.nus.sg>
Date: Wed, 12 May 1993 20:23:35 GMT
Lines: 63

In article <1993Apr30.083345.15696@nuscc.nus.sg> eng10511@nusunix1.nus.sg (RAM VIKASH TIWARY) writes:
>	As the the peace talks resume in the Middle East, I would humbly
>like to make some personal observations as to their prospects of success
>or failure and what's at stake.
>
>	The present talks were suspended for over 4 months after the
>Israeli expulsion of more the 400 palestinians for alleged links with
>the extremist Islamic organisation Hamas.  The future of the talks was
>in the balance and their continuance was only guaranteed after some
>concessions by Israel.  Now that all the parties are back to the
>negotiating table, the stakes as I see is are indeed high and the future
>stability of the region and perhaps the world is in the balance.
>
>	The resumption of the talks was followed by a goodwill gesture
>by Israel involving the return of 30 exiled Palestinians from Jordan to
>the Occupied Territories.  These, however were not the Palestinians
>expelled in December.  The group constituted intellectuals and
>professionals who had been exiled after the '67 war for the political
>stand which was then regarded as dangerous.
>
>	The choice of these Arabs, who support the peace talks,
>illustrates the dilemma now faced by Israel.  Its erstwhile arch
>enemies, ie PLO and its backers now seem willing to talk peace while a
>new wave of Islamic fundamantalism sweeping the Middle East has seen the
>rise of an even more implacable foe under the banner of Hamas.  
>
>	While Israel continues to refuse to talk to the PLO, labelling
>it a "terrorist organisation", the window of opportunity for peace is
>narrowing by the day.  If the present talks are allowed to deadlock
>without agreement for a long term and lasting peace that taken into
>account the interest of all involved, the chances of peace will indeed
>receed.  The PLO, by its decision to rejoin the talks, has staked its
>reputation on the success of the talks.  The longer the talks continue,
>and they started 1 and half years ago, without any tangible progress,
>the further will the PLO support in the territories erode.
>
>	What is urgently needed is some dramatic gesture, worked out by
>Israel with US approval that could spur the peace process and force the
>Arabs and Palestinians to reciprocate.  Vague promises as to interim
>government and return of territories is evidently too little too late to
>be any good.  You might ask why must the Israelis and not the Arabs make
>the first substantive moves.  The answer must lie in the tenous support
>at best that the talks receive among the mass of Arab people and the
>fact the Israel holds the most important cards, namely land.  
>
>If a land for peace agreement can be reached, and real soon, the chances
>of a comprehensive peace treaty is good.  The Arabs, once and for all,
>recognise Israel's right to exist inside secure borders, and Isreal
>would in turn recognise the legitimate right of the Palestinians to self
>deternimation and statehood.  With peace guarantee by air tight
>treaties, the region can then hope to dwell on the economic and social
>well being of its population, rather than prepare for the next war.
>
>--
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Ram Vikash Tiwary                        -  The alternative to peace is not  
>Department of Civil Engineering	            war, it is annihilation.
>National University of Singapore              
>eng10511@nusunix.sg                         
>					    
>-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


