Democracy

Economy

Education

Development

Global Issues

Research

4/7/04

Below is a letter posted at the Jakarta Post on April 7, 2004 which I think represents the view of most Indonesians.  Alas, such view is not only destructive, it perpetuates violence. It is for this reason that this view needs to be confronted before it is accepted as truth for generations to come, making peace in the world impossible to achieve.

Let me be clear from the beginning. My personal view on the Israel-Palestine conflict is clear and permanent: Both Israel and Palestine must have the rights to co-exist peacefully with each other under two different states. However, in order to gain for their independent state, the Palestinians must abandon their nihilistic way, including the worst of all: suicide bombing. Instead, they should fight for an independent through a diplomatic and non-terrorism way.  In return, the negotiation for an independent Palestinian state, including its territorial boundaries, will follow. Such view should be that of Indonesians, as well.

In one part, the letter states that "The core of worldwide terrorism lies in this region [Palestine-Israel], as human injustices also start in this part of the world."

This of course ignores the stubborn realities that injustices occur around the world and to mention that human injustice starts in the region is to pretend as if the only world problem were the Israel-Palestine conflict. The worldwide religious terrorists usually claim that the Israel-Palestine conflict, which according to them is an injustice committed by Israel and its supporter, the US toward the Palestinians, has inspired them to conduct their evil acts. However, injustices, ranging from economically to politically driven ones, are so prevalent before their own eyes and in their own backyard.  An economic justice, for instance, is commonly occurred in Indonesia and many other heavily corrupt nations.

The Israel-Palestine conflict is a conflict over land and political status. Accordingly, such political struggle, to gain for an independent state, should never be fought in the name of religion because, as we have witnessed, that will lead to the glorification of killings. The murders committed under the name of religion are the most evil acts ever invented by human being because such acts justify and glorify killings in the name of Deity, a being in which some people may not agree with.   Moreover, the glorification of killings under the name of religion is itself the greatest betrayal of the conception that the Deity is a compassionate and merciful being as what continuously taught by religions.

The letter further says that “The war against terrorism that was launched by U.S. President George W. Bush following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks seems to be heading nowhere. The recent railway bombings in Spain that killed 200 people show that terrorism has spread even wider in scale and size.”

This is to say that the war against terrorism has bred more terrorism. What about if there were no resolute will from the US to combat terrorism? Will it likely that terrorism will not grow in scale and size? It is unlikely so. The fact is terrorism, of any kind, must be combated and its infrastructure must be destroyed. Indonesia has suffered the consequence of doing nothing to combat, or at least, taking care of terrorism problem. A denial mentality a la Hamzah Haz has proved to be a disaster. The bombings in Bali in October 2002 are the evidence. Unfortunately, the Leftists in the West have the same kind of mentality. Perhaps, someday, it will be too late for them to realize their erroneous and naïve judgment about the real threat of terrorism and the need to combat it with all possible means including by the use of force.

The letter also says, “The key to the problem lies in the Arab world undertaking a concerted effort -- which might be possible as Iraq is no longer under Saddam Hussein's rule -- to halt or freeze, for a time, their diplomatic relations with the Israeli (for countries like Egypt, Jordan and Oman) and U.S. governments. They should turn instead to the European Union, East and Southeast Asia, who have been sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians.”

Currently, the European Union is under the “domination” of the Left and it is not a surprise if it has a favorable view toward the Palestinians. With majority of Muslims in the Southeast Asia, especially in Indonesia and Malaysia, it is also not a shock to find that most people in the region have a favorable view toward the Palestinians, as Muslims have tried to somehow identify the conflict as a conflict between Islam and the Jews-US. At the 10th Summit of the OIC (Organization of Islamic Countries) in Putrajaya, Malaysia in October 2003, the former Malaysia’s Prime Minister said “To begin with, the governments of all the Muslim countries can close ranks and have a common stand if not on all issues, at least on some major ones, such as on Palestine. We are all Muslims. We are all oppressed. We are all being humiliated….”

But, are the East Asian people more sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians? I doubt so. With a more balanced reporting and analysis from the media, the view in that region will be overwhelmingly to support the right of both the Israelis and the Palestinians to exist.

Lastly, the letter says, “Had these two communities, the Arabs and Jews, learned the example set by the late president Anwar Sadat of Egypt and the late prime minister Menachem Begin of Israel, who acknowledged that they were cousins, both from Ibrahim or Abraham, and who in 1978 reached a deal in which Israel returned Sinai (occupied by Israel during the 1967 war) to Egypt, the disputes in the Middle East would have been settled by now.”

Perhaps the writer of the letter does not know that Ehud Barak had offered Yasser Arafat a generous ”package” in the summer of 2000 during negotiations at Camp David only to be rejected by the latter and who then embraced Intifadah and invented suicide bombings. Barak's offer to the Palestinians was the most substantial and far reaching that had ever been made. His offer included:

--- Israeli redeployment from 95% of the West Bank and 100% of the Gaza Strip

--- The creation of a Palestinian state in that area

--- The removal of isolated settlements that would be transferred to Palestinian control

--- Slices of Israeli land to be included in the Palestinian state to compensate for the percentage of the West Bank to become Israeli

--- Palestinian control over parts of Jerusalem including most of the Old City

--- "Religious Sovereignty" over the Temple Mount (rather than Israeli sovereignty, which had been in effect since 1967)

In return Arafat had to declare the "end of conflict" and agree that no further claims on Israel could be made in the future. Arafat refused the offer out of hand. According to reports from those present the Palestinian leadership was not prepared to modify its demands. They clung to old all-or-nothing positions, refusing to compromise on Jerusalem or the issue of Palestinian refugees. Arafat failed to offer counter-proposals, or to specify what particular problems he felt needed to be addressed. Following the failure of the negotiations Barak announced:

"Today I return from Camp David, and can look into the millions of eyes and say with regret: We have not yet succeeded. We did not succeed because we did not find a partner prepared to make decisions on all issues. We did not succeed because our Palestinian neighbors have not yet internalized the fact that in order to achieve peace, each side has to give up some of their dreams; to give, not only to demand."

Instead of continuing cursing, blaming and killing the Jews (and the Americans), Indonesians, especially those who have so deep partisan view toward the Palestinians, should hope for the emerging of new Anwar Sadats, not new Yasser Arafats or Yassins.

Yitzhak Rabin and Ehud Barak were the Menachem Begin of their time, but the Arabs have yet to produce their new Sadats. Arafat has been in power for so long that I even wonder whether he is really an immortal being or…perhaps his invention will be immortal. Well, it is a bad news for the world.

 Your comment

Back to top