Issue No. 612
Opinion
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14 - 20 November 2002 Issue No. 612 Opinion |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
To get out the vote
There are 90 days left for Israelis to make one of the most important decisions in their history. Abandoned by moderate coalition partners, snubbed by right-wing allies, Ariel Sharon has called elections for 28 January, provoking a political crisis that has dimmed prospects for a truce with the Palestinians and deepened regional turmoil just as we face the prospect of a US war on Iraq. Sharon's coalition lasted only 20 months and brought neither security nor stability to Israel.
The Arabs now have three months in which to promote the Arab Peace Initiative that emerged at the Beirut summit. And their message of land for full diplomatic recognition and security guarantees has to be clear, forceful and heartfelt. Perhaps the best way to ensure that this is so is for Arab leaders, diplomats, legislators, academics and women's movements to organise private meetings, alongside public appearances, with everyone and anyone, from students to congressmen, and paying particular attention to those Jewish communities in the West divided over Sharon's policy and desirous of an alternative.
They, and the organisations they represent, carry tremendous influence inside Israel and, as a consequence, must be convinced that the Arabs' longing for peace is genuine. Whether we like it or not the Arab world may play a role in determining the composition of the next Israeli cabinet. It must, then, move quickly to gain the confidence of the Israeli electorate.
This week's Soapbox speaker is a former Member of Parliament and professor of political science at the American University in Cairo.
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