Spring Break
Talk alone won't make peace in Middle East
By: Garin Hovannisian - The daily Californian
Issue date: 6/29/04 Section: Opinion
Without variation and with omnipresent intensity, the single cure to every natural, economic and political calamity is said to be civil dialogue.
What is the solution to heated debates between campus groups?
Discourse, proudly proclaim student leaders. How about the solution to labor strikes? Round table discussions, opine the analysts. And what can we use to resolve this Middle East conflict once and for all? The media, body politic and government all agree: mutually beneficial conflict-resolution dialogue.
In minor disputes and legal arbitrations, dialogue sure works. Cases that would take years to be resolved are quickly and effectively settled outside the courtroom. And often a petty quarrel between friends can be overcome through discussion and understanding.
But in the matter of court cases, the opposing sides are citizens bound by the same set of laws and the problem is a misunderstanding, not a clash of worldviews.
In the present conflict, Israel and Palestine are not governed by the same laws and their conflict is not rooted in misunderstanding.
The origin of the conflict between Israel and Palestine is clear - it is their diametrically opposite historical, political and cultural beliefs about the world around them.
The conflagration here extends even beyond a strong ideological matchup. The problem is not in the debate itself but rather in the rules of the debate. The different historical legacies of Israel and Palestine have rendered them incompatible entities. The recent history of the Middle East peace process seems to prove this.
The most promising outcome of the Middle East peace process, which was initiated in October 1991 at the Madrid Conference, came in August 2000.
President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and the head of the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat got together in Camp David for some good, hearty discussion. At fir it everything seemed to be going well.
What is the solution to heated debates between campus groups?
Discourse, proudly proclaim student leaders. How about the solution to labor strikes? Round table discussions, opine the analysts. And what can we use to resolve this Middle East conflict once and for all? The media, body politic and government all agree: mutually beneficial conflict-resolution dialogue.
In minor disputes and legal arbitrations, dialogue sure works. Cases that would take years to be resolved are quickly and effectively settled outside the courtroom. And often a petty quarrel between friends can be overcome through discussion and understanding.
But in the matter of court cases, the opposing sides are citizens bound by the same set of laws and the problem is a misunderstanding, not a clash of worldviews.
In the present conflict, Israel and Palestine are not governed by the same laws and their conflict is not rooted in misunderstanding.
The origin of the conflict between Israel and Palestine is clear - it is their diametrically opposite historical, political and cultural beliefs about the world around them.
The conflagration here extends even beyond a strong ideological matchup. The problem is not in the debate itself but rather in the rules of the debate. The different historical legacies of Israel and Palestine have rendered them incompatible entities. The recent history of the Middle East peace process seems to prove this.
The most promising outcome of the Middle East peace process, which was initiated in October 1991 at the Madrid Conference, came in August 2000.
President Bill Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and the head of the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat got together in Camp David for some good, hearty discussion. At fir it everything seemed to be going well.
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