January 11, 2007 3:47

Dennis Ross's Mythology

Posted by Scott MacLeod | Comments (13) | Permalink | Trackbacks (0) | Email This

Nobody ever got rich defending the virtues of Yasser Arafat, so indulge me for taking a swipe at Dennis Ross's op-ed in Tuesday's New York Times. During the first Bush and then the Clinton administration, Ross, of course, was America's Mr. Middle East. Or as the bio on his think-tank's website puts it, he was "a highly skilled diplomat" who "for more than 12 years...played a leading role in shaping U.S. involvement in the Middle East peace process." Is it an oxymoron to speak of highly-skilled U.S. Middle East peace negotiators considering the bloody collapse of U.S.-brokered Middle East peace negotiations? Ross has a simple explanation for the failure: it's Arafat's fault. Ross's account of his government service, The Missing Peace, presidential-memoir-length at 840 pages, sums it up in a sentence: "Only one leader was unable or unwilling to confront history and mythology: Yasser Arafat."
Ross takes up his concern with mythology again in his Times Op-Ed. This time he complains about what he sees as an emerging mythology--perpetuated in former President Carter's book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid--that seeks to defend Arafat's "rejection" of U.S. peace proposals. Ross believes that Arafat's refusal to abandon the mythologies of the Palestinian struggle made it impossible for Arafat to make peace with Israel.
The notion that Arafat alone destroyed the peace process is itself a myth--and nobody has done more to advance it than Ross. The collapse of the peace process was a complex affair lasting from the Oslo accords in 1993 until the end of negotiations in 2001. Arafat contributed his share of mistakes. He was a vain, stubborn, corrupt and autocratic leader. His reliance on violence up to the end did more to hurt than help the Palestinian cause. But as Condi Rice cranks up another attempt to revive the peace process, it's worth debunking some of Ross's myths if American diplomacy is ever going to go anywhere.
--Arafat refused key compromises. Ross downplays the concessions that Palestinians made and suffering they endured since losing the 1948 war to Israel. When Arafat recognized Israel and signed Oslo in 1994, he gave away 78% of historic Palestine. That may seem a simple, over-due recognition of reality to Ross, but to Palestinians, many still holding keys to homes in Jaffa and Haifa, it's a gut-wrenching, existential capitulation. Arafat, a revolutionary nationalist guerrilla leader, made further substantial concessions during Ross's years of mediation. Following President Clinton's and Ross's departure from office, Arafat never renounced negotiations but the incoming Israeli and U.S. governments refused to engage the elected leader of the Palestinians.
--Arafat avoided key decisions. Yes, partly because Ross's skills didn't include the ability to gain Arafat's confidence and assure Palestinians of their future in a viable independent Palestinian state. Throughout the negotiations over the future of that remaining 22%, to cite one example, Israeli governments continued to expand illegal Israeli settlements with scarcely a peep of protest from the U.S. That left the paranoia-inclined Arafat suspicious and resentful. Having failed to oversee full implementation of confidence-building Israeli pullbacks, the U.S. decided to pressure Arafat into quick end-of-settlement talks on the ultra sensitive issues like control of Jerusalem, return of refugees, Jewish settlements and borders for a Palestinian state. Going into those failed Camp David talks, Arafat felt cornered--not the frame of mind a skilled mediator should instill in a negotiating party.
--Arafat missed key opportunities. Arafat never rejected peace at Camp David. His insistence that U.S. and Israeli proposals could be improved upon was validated when they were indeed improved upon in secret negotiations that continued, after the Palestinians launched an intifadeh. Ross scorns Arafat for not later endorsing Clinton's final proposals in December 2000. Arafat's reluctance was a tactical error, but hardly proved he would never make a final peace deal. He knew that Clinton and Israeli Prime Minister Barak were heading out of office within a month and would not be around to keep whatever commitments they made to Arafat in return. Given the terrible killings that ensued, Arafat's death in 2004 and last year's parliamentary victory of the fundamentalist Hamas group over Arafat's Fatah party--Hamas wants the whole 100%--let's duly note that Ross and his boss had eight golden years to negotiate Middle East peace and they too missed an opportunity.

By Scott MacLeod/Cairo

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Reader Comments (13)

Patrick Cummins:

That very much for an enlightening article. I think it's important to keep in mind that Sharon was dead set against the compromises being negotiated at Camp David. One could make a strong case that the Palestians have not had, since 2001, a partner with which to negotiate.

Posted by Patrick Cummins | January 12, 2007 1:38 AM

ed:

Ross is easy to read.Lives in a matrix of self-deception as all Zionist jews do.

Posted by ed | July 20, 2007 6:24 AM

Lloyd Kraus:

How to Make Peace in the Middle East

I believe that anyone who wants to talk about peace in the middle east has to first have read the Old Testament, New Testament and the Qu'ran. It only makes sense to figure out a solution for peace that answers what the other side is fighting for . . . What the 911 terrorists, Palestinian, Iraqi and Afghani insurgents are fighting for or defending against? What is their political and religious agenda.

The political and religious solution for Israel is for Israel to agree to the following Peace Agreement. Yes, both the Jewish Orthodox and the Islamic fundamentalist could agree to the following peace terms based on defending their land:

The borders of Israel shall basically be her pre-1967 borders. ("basically" could mean behind her new security wall; "basically" could include the very large Israeli settlements; "basically" could mean Israel can still call Jerusalem their capitol).
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The borders of Palestine shall basically be Gaza and the West Bank.
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The Old City of Jerusalem shall be sacred land with equal rights to those who honor the faith of Abraham. Israel agrees to recognize the Dome of the Rock as a shrine to Abraham. The rights of Israel and Palestine to have their capitol buildings located outside the walled city of Jerusalem shall not be infringed. (Practically, the municipal issues affecting Jerusalem should remain the same, both sides get to call Jerusalem their capitol, the Dome of the Rock is recognized as a shrine - because if Jewish Fundamentalists ever try to re-built Solomon's Temple on the same land - an immediate war would follow. Perhaps all three religions could take steps to recognize their similar beliefs.
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Palestinians living within the borders of Israel shall be Palestinian-Israeli Citizens. Jewish people living within the borders of Palestine, Syria (Golan Heights) and Lebanon (Shebaa Farms) shall be Jewish citizens of those countries. Citizens of each country agree to respect their nation's sovereignty over private, public, political, military, criminal and civil issues, as well as the actions and decisions of each sovereign government. Dual citizenship shall be allowed, but citizens will be obligated to respect the sovereignty of the countries within whose borders they reside. (No one is required to leave the land that they are currently living in. Jewish people would be allowed to remain in the West Bank - Judea and Samaria - thus not violating the Creator's Land Promise to Abraham and the Jewish people. Note: Why are over a million Palestinians within the land of Israel basically at Peace in Israel - because they are given citizenship and land rights within the State of Israel - now can the opposite take place?)
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The rights of Palestinians to emigrate to Israel, and the rights of Jewish people to emigrate to the West Bank shall be equal. (Note: "equal" has to be mutually agreed. This right address both the Creator's promise to the Jewish People to live in the West Bank - Judea and Samria; and this also addresses the 1948 land issue where 700,000 Palestinians lost their right to live within the land of Israel.)
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Each state and its citizens shall respect the rights of the current occupants, including current water usage rights across international borders.
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Israel, Lebanon and Syria agree to unconditionally forgive any and all past political, military, economic, property, civil, criminal, private and public claims and differences wrought between each nation and its citizens. This unconditional amnesty shall be both resolute and forthright. Land Restitution for the Palestinians shall be addressed voluntarily.
Israel shall demilitarize from the occupied territories when the UN Security Council shall unanimously agree that hostilities against Israel have ceased. The occupied territories shall thereafter remain demilitarized by all parties. (After peace becomes real, stops, Israel is expected to relax its security system. Without eventual Israeli demilitarization from the occupied territories, there will be outstanding Land Issues that will give rise to terrorism.)

Does anyone in the American or Israeli government know that every Prophet and story in the Qu'ran is about an Israelite in the Old or New Testament.

"Moses said to his people: O my people! Remember the bounty of God upon you when He bestowed prophets upon you, and made you kings and gave you that which had not been given to anyone before you amongst the nations. O my people! Enter the Holy Land which God has written for you, and do not turn tail, otherwise you will be losers." (Qur'an Chapter 5, verse 21)
Does anyone in the American or Israeli government know that Muslims go to Mecca to pay homage to Abraham. Does anyone in the Israeli government know that every Muslim knows that they believe in the same Creator as the Jewish people. Does anyone in the American government know that every Muslim knows that Jesus was the Messiah - and will come back as the Messiah.

Of course, there is a lot of propaganda that makes the other side the terrorists; but almost all wars are about terror against civilians: When we firebombed the civilians in Japan in World War II; when we B-52 blanked-bombed Hanoi to bring them to the Peace Treaty; when we had a balance of terror vis-a-vis the Soviet Union during the Cold War (our missiles were aimed at the civilian city centers); when Israel returns missile fire from the Gazan's with a Tank projectile - that is terrorism too. We didn't terrorize the Japanese or Vietnamese or Russians because we wanted to blow up innocent civilians - we did so because of our political agenda.

The political and religious solution for the Middle East have to be based about what the three Bibles have to say to each group about Land.

What were the Crusades about . . . to plant the Christian flag in the Holy Land. What is America's Christian support of Israel based on . . . partly the same reason; and the return of the Messiah.

The right wing military solution, or Vietnam solution, is not even remotely the answer. What 911 and Iraq have in common is the power and strength of the suicide-bomber. Our government never planned for the "suicide" element of 911; nor did they plan for the "suicide" element after "mission accomplished." But, what do the "suicider's" fight for. They like all soldiers; yes, soldiers, fight for, and defend, Land. All wars are caused over conflicts over Land. The suiciders are simply defending their land.

Also, there is a lot of propaganda about 70 Virgins. All Muslims are taught when they go to heaven (grandmothers, school teachers, children. . . all Muslims) get served at the "waiting gates to heaven" by 70 Virgins - not 70 Virgins to sleep with - It does say, though, basically better to die defending your land than to submit yourself as a slave - the same thing Pancho Villa basically said.). Again, people should read all three books before they can address what the other side is really thinking.

Perhaps if the Jewish and Muslim People actually read the New Testament they could learn something too.

With todays "military responders" and ignorant "political solutioners" in power, the situation for Israel and America may get worse.

Does America or Israel really have to give up their hegemony or power? NO!

For Peace in Iraq and Afghanistan, America will have to withdraw all their military forces from Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan; America will also have to foster peace instead of military solutions for Israel - and Israel will have to do the same. Once we do this, the reason for these Middle East Wars will end.

By Lloyd Kraus

Please send comments to: LloydKraus@gmail.com

Posted by Lloyd Kraus | October 8, 2007 8:11 AM

lmcommish:

You write, "Ross downplays the concessions that Palestinians made and suffering they endured since losing the 1948 war to Israel. When Arafat recognized Israel and signed Oslo in 1994, he gave away 78% of historic Palestine."

Do you hate historical facts or something? jews are the longest continuous population of "historic Palestine" - look up the the word "Plishtim" and Roman Emperor Hadrian to see the connection you've clearly missed.

Posted by lmcommish | February 27, 2008 3:02 AM

lmcommish:

Oh, and you should change your title to "Bill Clinton's Mythology" because he (along with the rest of the delegation) agrees that the break down of the peace talks was the fault of no one but the Palestinians.

You should ask yourself if some long-held, unfounded prejudice is what caused you to write such a blatantly inaccurate piece. It's really a shame.

Don't shun history books so much - you may even learn something about the history of the M.E.. Plus, it's good for credibility - especially before you write something full of hateful propaganda that is easily dismantled by opening a history book. Good luck!

Posted by lmcommish | February 27, 2008 3:16 AM

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