Abbas reaches out to Israelis
2008-11-20 14:03
Ramallah - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas took his case for a peace deal directly to ordinary Israelis on Thursday, assuring them in Hebrew-language newspaper ads that a withdrawal from the West Bank, Gaza Strip and parts of Jerusalem would bring them full recognition by the Arab world.
The full-page ad, published in three Israeli dailies, spells out this tradeoff, first offered in the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative.
The ad says 57 Arab and Muslim countries would establish diplomatic ties with Israel in exchange for a withdrawal from the lands that would make up a Palestinian state. Underscoring the promise, dozens of colourful flags of these countries frame the ad.
It's the first time a Palestinian leader tries to reach Israelis in this way, said Abbas aide Saeb Erekat.
Abbas felt that ordinary Israelis don't know enough about the Arab offer and wanted to approach them directly. "Not enough has been done to promote it," Erekat said of the Arab initiative.
Israel, which is holding talks separately with the Palestinians and Syria, is not prepared to accept all the demands laid out in the Arab initiative. But it has said it could be useful in helping to end the Arab-Israeli conflict.
"The overwhelming majority of the Israeli public is ready for peace with our neighbours and understand that peace will demand difficult compromise," Israeli government spokesperson Mark Regev replied when asked to comment on the ad.
The campaign comes at a troubled time for Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. A year of negotiations has not brought tangible results, and Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu says he won't continue talks in the current format if he wins February 10 general elections. Opinion polls give Netanyahu a strong chance of winning.
Stir debate
Many Israelis are also sceptical about a peace deal, in part because the embattled Abbas no longer speaks for all Palestinians.
He lost Gaza to the Islamic militant group Hamas in a violent 2007 takeover, two years after a unilateral Israeli withdrawal from the territory. Gaza militants have fired thousands of rockets and mortars on Israeli border towns since the pullout, and Israelis fear a West Bank withdrawal could bring more attacks.
The Arab initiative could help dispel such scepticism by offering Israel a much bigger prize than just a potential end to the conflict with the Palestinians. Most Arab and Muslim countries don't have diplomatic relations with Israel.
Israeli President Shimon Peres repeatedly has praised the plan in recent weeks, and Defence Minister Ehud Barak has said it could serve as the basis for negotiations of a regional peace agreement.
The ad ran in the Haaretz, Yediot Ahronot and Maariv dailies.
"Fifty-seven Arab and Muslim countries will forge diplomatic ties and normal relations with Israel in exchange for a full peace agreement and an end to the occupation," reads the ad. It reprints the text of the Arab initiative.
Israeli Arab legislator Ahmed Tibi, who has joined the campaign, said he hopes the ads will stir debate in Israel.
The ad is also to run in newspapers in Europe and the US, Tibi said.
- AP