Peace Train Stalled at Station
| August 31, 2016
Arab affairs expert Shalom Harari: It's not enough to know Arabic. You need to understand what Arabs’ leaders mean
R
eports thatIsraelandEgyptare planning a regional peace conference are likely premature according to Brigadier-General (retired) Shalom Harari who has advised the Israeli government on Arab affairs from senior posts inside IDF military intelligence and the Ministry of Defense.
“It sounds like a reporter is floating a trial balloon” Harari told Mishpacha. “I haven’t seen any confirmation on this from the Palestinian media.”
The report first surfaced when Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi told reporters in Cairo last week that Russian president Vladimir Putin had offered to host talks between Egypt Israel and the Palestinian Authority. But even if that’s true it’s hardly clear sailing from the Mediterranean to Moscow.
BothIsraeland the PA boycotted a peace parley for foreign ministers from 29 countries hosted byFrancein June.Israel’s position is that only direct talks betweenIsraeland the Palestinians will solve the conflict while Abu Mazen refused to attend without unilateral Israeli concessions like a settlement freeze and a release of prisoners.
El-Sisi’s comments were interpreted in the Israeli media to imply that Abu Mazen would drop his demand for preconditions if the conference were held inCairo notMoscow. Harari contends that reporters who don’t understand the subtle nuances of Arabic have often misinterpreted el-Sisi’s words.
“Not long ago el-Sisi was quoted as having offered the Palestinians territory in the Sinai to build a state. El-Sisi never said any such thing” Harari says. “As it turns out an Israeli journalist who is only partially fluent in Arabic twisted it that way.”
However Harari does believe thatIsraelandEgyptare on the same page on many regional issues including the Gaza Strip being part of any comprehensive peace agreement and Hamas continuing to be the ruling party there.
“Not long ago el-Sisi was quoted as having offered the Palestinians’ territory in the Sinai to build a state. El-Sisi never said any such thing" says retired Brigadier-General Shalom Harari
Part of what has movedIsraelandEgyptcloser together Harari says is a common security threat from Hamas and Sinai extremist groups.
After years of turmoil including the ouster of Hosni Mubarak and the jailing of his successor Mohammed Morsi El-Sisi has consolidated his rule by playing tough at home while extending an open hand to the West. “Under Mubarak there were ups and downs because Mubarak didn’t feel he neededIsrael ” Harari says. “El-Sisi is different. He believes a great deal of his legitimacy in the West is contingent upon his relationship withIsrael.”
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