Yesterday Friday, Hayem Remon the depute of Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, was interviewed on the Israeli channel one, in which he was asked about the strike the teachers are doing in Israel, and also was asked important questions about Monopolies November Peace Conference. Hayem Remon is known of his good relation with Ehud Olmert and also Rabin once at his time. Remon is the coordinator of the peace negotiations that are taking place at these days between Israel and Palestine. He suggested a plan for the final cases, which includes Jerusalem, the refugees, and the boarders for the future Palestinian state. Lately the Israeli Media was discussing what Ehud Olmert said in his last speech of the Peace Conference. According to the Media, Olmert said that this conference is not a conference to treat the final cases in the conflict between the two sides, but would only be a good start for negotiating about it. Olmert also mentioned that no State in the world including Israel could keep on doing nothing while missiles are thrown on its lands, this was a sign for the predicted Gaza operation that Israel is planning for, and already some said that it got the green light from the united states to start. Well Hayem Remon said some other statements that even surprised the reported to ask him if his statements are to be acknowledge by the Israeli Prime Minister Olmert. Remon said that the media didn’t bring to the public the second half of what Olmert said. In other words Remon says that Monopolies conference will bring some new arrangements for the meanwhile situation but will also be a start for real contentious and serious negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians to find a soon solution for the final cases which includes Jerusalem, the refugees, the boarders, and the security of the Israeli state. Remon was clear about withdrawing from all the territories in East Jerusalem that includes more than one hundred seventy thousand Palestinians. He said that keeping these Palestinians is not good for the Israeli state from the side of spending money on their education, health insurance, and living. He also said that some extremist Israelis agree with him about this such as Liberman. When he was asked about time schedules, he said that whenever time schedules were appointed, none of the both sides committed to it. From this point, it is to be noticed that the both sides chose not to discuss the final cases in public by declaring time schedules, but to keep it in secret work, serious work of negotiations, some would ask why, and here Remon gives the answer: the reason is that a final declaration of these negotiations must be brought to the public before President Bush finishes his governing period at the end of 2008. This information could make some feel better towards the arrangements and plans for the improving of peace and end of the conflict, but we should look at the other side of this plan; what if violence starts from the both extremists of the two sides. Are Olmert and Abu Mazen ready to face these dangers and how are they going to react with it? We can get an unclear answer from what Ehud Olmert said about the cooperation and the understanding between him and Abu Mazen about the need of ending the Palestinian movements that act against Israel because of what is called “terrorism”, but here comes the real question about how far can this go and are they capable of making this plan. Lets start with Ehud Olmert; can he really reach a final agreement and get the support from his people and ministers to achieve? Or will he fall like others felt in the past when they talked about dividing Jerusalem for the sake of peace and security for the Israeli State. What about Abu Mazen, is he really supported to start a revolutionary change in one of the basic points of belief that the Palestinian people and movements still hold and which is called “resistance”? And beside all of this, how can Gaza be faced with all the weapons it has and also almost the army that Hamas built; it is not a country that a regular army can invade and the air strikes wont help in seizing it, and what about the civilian victims that could die, wont this be called also terrorism, or it is okay to call them the martyrs of peace?  This plan for peace includes the use of force to stop any Palestinian activities that could happen, but does not make it clear about any Israeli army activities that could take place and cause the death of Palestinian civilians. The change that comes only from the sky and does not also start from the base that is the people and their ways of understanding and believing cant achieve and stay alive.

Ziad Khalil Abu Zayyad

A Palestinian-Arab living in East Jerusalem, Ziad graduated from College Des Freres in Jerusalem in 2003. Ziad finished his major in International Relations and English Literature from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ziad is a former President of the Watan student movement at the university. He is interested in Middle Eastern political issues and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Founder of the Middle East Post and MEL (Middle East Future Leadership Network), he represents Palestinian youth at several international conferences.

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