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Seeking a Quick Exit in Gaza
The fact remains that the power struggle between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas is precisely over whether to opt for peaceful negotiations with Israel toward a two-state solution or opt for armed resistance to liberate Palestine. Israel’s actions and evasion have provided sufficient ammunition to those who ridicule Arab moderates, and have actually undermined those moderates.
At this point, Arab moderates will neither be the scapegoat nor the buffer between Hamas and Israel.
What needs to be done now must go beyond Gaza and must be done collectively, by international and regional leaders, regardless of the level and intensity of their differences and divisions. Beyond calling for a cease-fire and a return to Tahdi’a—a temporary calm—the leaders of the Quartet (the United States, United Nations, European Union, and Russia) and their Middle East partners must draft a plan that Obama sees fit to sign off on when he takes office.
Many smart people around the world are thinking of elements for such a plan. Some are based on a bailout of both Hamas and Israel; others are adamant that nothing is possible without the total military devastation of Hamas and its infrastructure as a starting point.
There are suggestions for international military observers at separation points between Gaza/Israel and Gaza/Egypt; there are calls for security-based partnerships in a new Middle East order.
Some feel the time is now ripe for an international conference that would revive the spirit of the Madrid peace conference but would avoid the pitfalls and disappointment of the Annapolis process.
Others are counseling an end to anything that resembles a “process” because of the negative connotation it has gained over the years, as solutions became less attainable as the “process” became an end in itself.
What is essential in any scenario is to understand how uncomplicated the requirements of a peaceful solution of this conflict are.
An Arab peace plan, endorsed by consensus at an Arab summit, would bring Israel peace, recognition, and normalization, if Israel ends its occupation of the Arab land it captured in 1967—with negotiated adjustments—so that Israel and Palestine are independent states living side by side.
Any preconditions along the lines of stopping the violence or holding the Palestinian Authority accountable for the actions of Hamas or other Palestinian factions will only weaken the chances for negotiations and moderation.
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Benjamin Sarlin is a reporter for The Daily Beast. He previously covered New York City politics for The New York Sun and has worked for talkingpointsmemo.com.
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Jacob Bernstein is a senior reporter at The Daily Beast. Previously, he was a features writer at WWD and W Magazine. He has also written for New York magazine, Paper, and The Huffington Post.
This is the silliest and longest opinion piece I've ever read. In fact, this is a collection of opinions, that go all over the place, some contradicting each other, offering nothing useful to the reader. What makes the writer think she can tell everybody what they should or should not do? Or does she think every country and leader should abandon their national interests to satisfy her wishful thinking? I'm sorry, but this op-ed is simply stupid, unbefitting the great DB.
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