Haaretz
Sivan 16, 5765
The meeting between Ariel
Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas did indeed seem, as the Palestinians claim, like
one between a senior commander and a junior officer who did not carry out
his mission as expected, or like one between a landlord and a tenant who
did not pay his rent on time.
But in this case, Israel is not the
landlord, and the drama that played out on camera at the start of
Tuesday's summit was unnecessary. Sharon could have skipped the
humiliation and focused on his demands. If he was trying to win the hearts
of his voters, he did so at too high a cost. Given the sensitive state of
relations between the parties, and after having waited so long for the
summit to occur, it is doubtful it was necessary at all. In a situation
where there was no diplomatic breakthrough, perhaps it would have been
better to hold the talks at a lower level in order to prevent resounding
disappointments.
The arrogance broadcast by Israel's representative
merely emphasized the weakness of his partner, and served no purpose, even
though the demand for an end to the terror is justified. In the end,
arrogance will not benefit the Israeli public, which would be better
served by a strong and independent interlocutor.
The content of the
meeting was less important than the style, as coordination between the
Palestinian Authority and Israel is being handled at a lower level - and
apparently, fairly successfully. The principal message that Sharon sought
to convey to the Palestinians and, even more, to the Israeli public was
that Israel will leave the Gaza Strip in any case, since this is a
unilateral disengagement that serves Israeli interests, but any additional
step that could improve Palestinian life following the withdrawal will
depend on halting terror.
It is doubtful Abbas will be capable of
providing Israel with security, or even a promise of security, in the
foreseeable future; and it is doubtful that Sharon is capable of promising
the Palestinians a continuation of the diplomatic process after the
withdrawal from Gaza. His political situation does not enable him to make
promises. The hope is that the very fact of the withdrawal from Gaza will
improve the atmosphere between the parties and set in motion the dynamic
of the diplomatic process, and that a withdrawal successfully coordinated
with the PA will open the door to a more optimistic next
step.
"You're not as weak as you make yourself out to be," Sharon
told Abbas, though the Americans' impression is that his weakness is real
and the chaos in the Palestinian Authority is substantial. At this interim
stage before the disengagement, Israel's goal must be to make life easier
for the Palestinians in every area where this will not endanger security.
Willingness to begin work on the new Gaza port and reopening the
Palestinian airport are examples of practical gestures that would help to
strengthen the PA without harming Israel. There is no reason to delay such
gestures. There is also no reason to continue building in the settlements,
thereby arousing Palestinian doubts about whether Israel really intends to
implement the road map afterward.
The suicide bomber who was caught
at Erez Checkpoint, who could have shattered everything had she indeed
blown herself up in an Israeli hospital, shows just how fragile the
situation is and how much goodwill is needed to overcome the problems and
move forward with the only plan that is currently on the agenda.