American involvement in the Middle East peace process has been less than helpful at times because "Americans want to put their feet in the water and not get wet," Gidi Grinstein, a member of the Israeli delegation at Camp David, told a Tufts audience Tuesday night.
At the discussion, "The Israeli-Palestinian Challenge: Negotiating for Peace," Grinstein spoke about obstacles to peace, attempting to balance the views of both sides while acknowledging his Israeli bias.
About 50 students gathered in Braker Hall to participate in the discussion, which was presented by Tufts Friends of Israel. The "multi-ideational" group promotes awareness of Israel, according to President Andy Leitner.
The talk came amid heightening violence in Israel. A suicide bomber killed six people outside a hotel in Jerusalem earlier this week, and another 25 Israelis and three suicide bombers died in Jerusalem and the port city of Haifa over the weekend. That violence led to major Israeli military strikes against Palestinian targets in the West Bank and Gaza, which have also resulted in civilian casualties.
Grinstein explained that a "catch-22" situation is stalling the peace process. While the Palestinians want to discuss politics before ceasing the violence, the Israelis will not negotiate under fire. Further, Grinstein said that both Palestinians and Israelis believe that the other party is responsible for starting the conflict.
The Israelis see three main roadblocks to peace - they have "no platform, no partner, no power," Grinstein said. He explained that Israelis do not have a consensus on the terms of peace, no faith that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will cooperate with them, and those pushing for peace do not have power. Grinstein acknowledged that the Palestinians could sum up their frustrations with the same phrase.
Nevertheless, he is optimistic about the prospects for negotiation. Grinstein said that the cycle of violence and the misconceptions of both parties can be "broken by a third party that can only be the US."
When an audience member questioned whether the UN could act as a suitable third party, Grinstein dismissed the option.
"Israel does not trust the UN or accept its' moral authority," he said.
Using a visual aid resembling a DNA double helix, Grinstein explained that each time negotiations begin to progress, radicals wishing to forestall the process become violent. He cited the suicide bombs that have plagued Israel for years as an example. "The closer we get, the greater the opposition," he said.
Grinstein firmly believes that the status quo cannot persist in Israel. "In terms of realpolitik ... the situation in the West Bank and Gaza strip is not sustainable," he said. Israelis from the politically far left to the center right share this opinion.
In the near future, Jews will become a minority between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, yet they will still govern the Palestinian majority. In the past, Grinstein said this sort of situation has not been "a comfortable recipe for 20th-century state management."
Five to seven years from now, Grinstein predicts that Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza strip will have changed because "there are enough partners on both sides to make it doable." He stressed that the conflict does not have a military solution and progress can only come through negotiation.
During the question and answer session, students asked Grinstein's opinion on issues as varied as Clinton's performance at Camp David to alternate methods for dealing with Palestinian violence.
Freshman Maher Zamel, a member of the Arab Student Association, brought up Ariel Sharon's questionable human rights record and criticized Grinstein's presentation as unfairly attacking the UN.
Grinstein acknowledged that Sharon has been linked to the massacre of 1,200 civilians during Israel's disastrous invasion of Lebanon in 1982.
A moment of subtle tension overcame the room as Grinstein explained that Sharon was forced to resign as Minister of Defense because of the allegations. He pointed out that leaders of other countries have gone unpunished for greater crimes, such as Russian president Vladmir Putin's actions in Chechnya and Arab actions in Saudi Arabia.
After Grinstein's presentation concluded, Zamel expressed chagrin at what he called the "complete one-sidedness of the presentation." Zamel and others said it would have been "extremely beneficial to have a Palestinian counterpart" at the panel to ensure a balance of viewpoints.
Senior Rebecca Cohen-Shrage disagreed, however. "It was refreshing to hear a more objective historical perspective," she said, while recognizing that it is "impossible to talk about this issue without a political stance."
