Wiston Papers

Nothing New in Middle East Peace Talks:  Here's Why

I have long been cynical of realistic prospects that the United States--or any nation--can be a successful broker in arranging a permanent peace treaty between the Israel and the Palestinians.

As a young man I was happy with the Israeli victory in the Six Day war of 1967.  But my pro-Israeli sentiments quickly eroded when then Israeli capital Tel Aviv adopted a clearly provocative policy of building Israeli settlements in post-war occupied lands.

To me it was as if the U.S. had lost a brief border skirmish with Canada.  Canadian troops marched 100 miles into America from Washington State east to Minnesota and soon began to build communities for Canadian citizens.

Americans would be outraged and would refuse any long-term peace settlement with Ottawa until our historic borders were returned and these towns were abandoned.

Add to this the tension fueled by the generations-old cultural imperative that any real or perceived crime against either a Jewish or Muslim family requires a similar degree of retaliation.

Now imagine similar cultural held beliefs by Canadians and Americans toward each other.  Mix those with Canadian military occupation and civilian settlement constructions inside a line 100 miles inside the United States stretching from Washington to Minnesota.

Do you realistically believe that any outside nation could successfully or quickly negotiate a permanent peace agreement between Ottawa and Washington?

Of course not.  That’s why 45 years after the Six Day War there is no Peace in the Middle East.

Only if Israel (or Canada) were to withdraw its troops to original borders  and abandoned its settlements in occupied territory would there be any realistic hope of the start of serious peace efforts.

And I don’t expect that to happen anytime soon no matter who occupies in the White House.

Steve Coon

July 17, 2012