A False Symmetry
Turtle Bay 
BY BENNY AVNI
July 25, 2005
Seeing symmetry between the two sides is probably the biggest hindrance to understanding the Israeli-Arab dispute. And yet, too many fall into the trap of using he said, she said as their only storytelling method in this dramatic chronicle.
Israel is determined to proceed with disengagement despite the activities of Israeli extremists, Secretary-General Annan's new special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Alvaro de Soto, said last Thursday during his first monthly U.N. Security Council briefing.
Unable to praise one side without giving kudos to the other, the U.N. diplomat then went on to laud a recent forceful address to his people by the leader of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas. Hope was also provided by the report only two days ago that the cease-fire has been renewed and that the Palestinian factions are committed to end internal fighting, Mr. de Soto said.
In reality, what took place last week on the Israeli side was an early round in a protracted confrontation between security forces under the government's control and a very vocal minority answerable only to its rabbis. The anti-government forces vehemently oppose uprooting any Jewish settlements in territories Israel came to control after the 1967 war.
Prime Minster Sharon, representing the vast majority of Israelis, came out victorious. Last week's standoff was not pretty, but both sides were relieved that not a drop of blood was spilled. Beyond the protest site near Gaza, this fight for Israel's soul took place in the Knesset, the contentious Israeli press, and the Supreme Court.
Inside Gaza, meanwhile, a terrorist organization that calls for the establishment of an Islamic state, Hamas, fought for political gain against the Palestinian Authority. The authority is controlled by the Fatah party and its elected leader, Mr. Abbas, who indefinitely postponed a legislative election recently, fearing a Hamas victory.
We'll keep a national dialogue with Hamas, the authority's foreign minister, Nasser al-Kidwa, told me, but the red lines are clear. There could only be one authority, he said.
The authority's armed conflict with Hamas has consisted of deadly street shootouts. Hamas hoped to marshal public support by shelling Israeli towns across the border as well. Not to be outdone, a would-be suicide bomber Fatah member was caught yesterday, laden with explosives, on his way to a martyrdom operation in Tel Aviv.
Palestinian Arab cease-fire declarations, highlighted in Mr. de Soto's briefing, were violated mere hours after they were issued. No free press, independent legislator, or court played any role in the struggle for control of Gaza.
There is no symmetry, even Mr. al-Kidwa admitted. If you want to take care of your camp you are better off not comparing it to the other side, he said. He knows a lot is riding on the control of Gaza, but the Palestinian Authority has failed to curb terrorism during Israel's withdrawal. An Israeli couple visiting Gaza's settlements for the last time, Rachel and Dov Kol, were murdered yesterday as their small child watched.
After representing the Palestinian Arab cause at the United Nations for more than a decade, Mr. al-Kidwa became the authority's foreign minister last year after the death of his uncle, Yasser Arafat. Now, along with other Ramallah and Gaza officials, he blames Israel for the authority's military and political weakening.
Meanwhile, resorting to an old maneuver, the foreign minister is struggling to turn the world against Israel's security barrier. That wall will be removed, he vowed. It's a stupid and crazy idea, racist as well. At last week's council meeting, however, this tactic failed and praise was heaped on Mr. Sharon's Gaza plan, for which the West Bank fence is essential.
The Arab and Jewish national liberation movements do not mirror one another. Decades before Prime Minister Ben-Gurion declared independence in 1948, Palestinian Jews established the institutions that later enabled Israel to become a thriving democracy. Even today, several times after nearly declaring their own state, the Palestinian Arabs have failed to create similar institutions.
Rather than waiting, Mr. Sharon boldly decided to unilaterally redraw a new border between the two societies, which he expects will last for many decades.
It's crazy, Mr. al-Kidwa told me. You don't draw a border this way. But for now, it is the only sane plan around - precisely because it is based on the realistic premise that no symmetry exists between the two sides.