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June 2, 2000/28 Iyar 5760, Vol. 52, No.39
Both sides nowEditorialThe headlines may be focused on Lebanon, but the real news is what's happening in Jerusalem.That's not just because Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day, which commemorates the return of the Old City to Israeli autonomy in the aftermath of the 1967 Six Day War, is marked today, June 2. For most Israelis - and for Jews throughout the world - control of the holy city of David is cause for joyous celebration. This year it is that and more, as immediate events on Israel's northern borders propel dual-track negotiations forward and refuel Israel's peacemaking efforts on both fronts. While Hezbollah sympathizers construe Israel's departure from South Lebanon as defeat - their position shored up with endless press footage of flag-waving terrorists chasing Israeli soldiers over the border - the truth is that Israel made a conscious decision predicated on carefully calculated military and political realities. The withdrawal, according to United Nations guidelines, elevates Israel's stature in the international community, not to mention its moral currency vis-…-vis its hostile northern neighbors, Syria and Syria-backed Lebanese factions. While ultimate peace will have to wait for firm agreements with Syria and Lebanon, Israel now has the upper hand. Palestinian Liberation Organization Chief Yasser Arafat may try to use the ostensible Hezbollah "victory" as a ploy to delay direct talks, but terrorists may be losing their sway. When rioting broke out on the West Bank mid-May, Israel quickly seized control and ended the outburst. At least one observer attributes the quick resolution to "a direct line between (Israeli Prime Minister Ehud) Barak and Arafat." Using that direct line to push on the final status of Jerusalem is the next step. Ceding the village of Abu Dis, located on the outskirts of the holy city with ties to the West Bank, to the PLO provides a potential governmental center for the fledgling Palestinian entity while preserving Jerusalem's status as Israel's capital. Other compromises are on the horizon. As the negotiations gear up again this week, it's clearly both sides now. |
