Enlightenment in Gaza

President-elect Obama must make the Israeli-Hamas violence first item on his foreign policy to-do list. He must initiate high level processes of arbitration and mediation that are inclusive. One that is not ad hoc, but an on-going process initiated, and a plan to take it forward in a continuous way for as long as it may take.

Immediate, firm, but non-violent, measures must be taken.

For starters, "The Clinton Parameters" may be a good place to begin.

The following is an excerpt from James Carroll's column in the Boston Globe, of which I am in complete agreement.

"His [Barack Obama] enlightenment can be assumed. The question is one of will. Majorities of Israelis and Palestinians understand what the solution requires; the wheel of peace is already invented. Indeed, as the writer Bernard Avishai observes, Obama's secretary of state bears the name of its most succinct summary - "the Clinton parameters." Majorities understand also that the door is fast closing on the two-state finale, which alone offers hope of long-term reconciliation. What is needed now are firm messages from Washington: Israel must cease fire, respect Palestinian rights, and keep agreements; Palestinians must halt rockets, repudiate terror, and empower moderates toward a new unity. Obama must draw the line with both.

For a brief period, America's new president will bask in universal goodwill. The Arab world, Muslims generally, and Palestinians in particular, have unprecedented reason to believe they will be heard. Israel can count on Obama's friendship. The war in Gaza requires him to act boldly and swiftly. If he has political and moral capital, he must begin by spending it there, making sure that such heartbreaking violence stops, for good."

Enlightenment in Gaza
By James Carroll
January 5, 2009