During Pessah this year let us remember that the experience of slavery has created for us a deep consciousness and a passionate commitment to freedom and justice as incorporated in the Torah. We vow to remember that we were once slaves in Egypt and today we can retell our story of liberation. Let us truly become free, free from occupation, free from conflict and free to build peace with our neighbours.
Gershon Baskin thinks that by taking the initiative of creating the international interim governing authority in Palestine, Israel can ensure the orderly takeover of control of territories from which it seeks to withdraw.
Internationalization of the solution is perhaps the best way to ensure that we do not lose the two-state option
This project must be stopped – no good will come from it and the longer it takes to make the decision, the worse the situation will become.
All of the citizens of Jerusalem should raise their voice against this project. Jews, Muslims and Christians alike should respect each others’ sacred spaces – without this there can never be peace in this Holy City or in this Holy Land.
Hamas presented a unified list in each district while Fatah and others had a multiplicity of candidates which caused great divisions.
It is time to try a new course that, rather than threatening and punishing, rewards positive actions and encourages the public to support an increasingly better reality. The alternative is more despair and hopelessness.
I do not believe that Sharon will be the prime minister to negotiate a comprehensive peace agreement with the Palestinians, but he will get us closer than any other potential leader could in these times. Yossi Beilin brought us Geneva, but to achieve a negotiated agreement with the Palestinians he first has to get to the prime minister’s seat. He will not. Sharon will be the next prime minister of Israel.
Gerson Baskin believes that It is time to reexamine the axiomatic notion that real cooperation before full peace is not possible.
Once the shift of opinion in favour of the one-state option of the main stream Palestinian leadership occurs, the two-state solution will lose its validity amongst the Palestinian public.