The state of Israel must give up on its colonial dreams and negotiate peace now, writes Amin Howeidi* Mr Ehud Olmert, leader of Kadima and prime minister designate of Israel, Fate had it that you should be prime minister, while Sharon is lying in intensive care at Hadassah Hospital, incapacitated beyond hope of recovery. Many, including myself, believe that the world will be a better place without him. For starters, I believe that you are in a difficult position. You need to take decisions that are crucial for the future of Israel and the region. You need to do that in fast-changing times. You need to stay ahead of the game. And you cannot simply follow in Sharon's bloody footsteps. Great leaders are not those who depend on their muscles, but those who know how to adapt to change, those who know that politics is an act of give and take, and those who know that concessions must be made. I know that you inherited from Sharon certain fears in the present, and a concern for the future. Sharon had been trying to cover his fears with crimes. You and other Israeli leaders have a tendency to do so. Fear is something that cannot be banished by guns alone. You can kill thousands of people and still live in fear. You are a new prime minister now with a new party to lead. And you need new thinking and a new style. Across the divide, the scene has changed. Hamas presents a new composition and new ideas. Don't turn your back on Hamas just because it fought you. Remember that peace is invariably reached between former combatants. Menachem Begin was a leader of Irgun, a bloody gang if there was ever one. And yet when he became prime minister, Begin proceeded to sign the Camp David Accords with President Anwar El-Sadat. The two men later won a combined Nobel Peace Prize. Fighting doesn't last forever. At some point, the combatants need sit, talk and shape the future. Were you to remain obsessed with the past -- and yours is not spotless -- the future would be grim. So perhaps you should start talking about geography and demography, for only then you may find a solution. You're asking Hamas to recognise you before you start talking. Wrong again. By agreeing to talk, Hamas is implicitly recognising you. Besides, which is the Israel you're asking Hamas to recognise? You're a country with deformed demography and no borders. Refusal to talk will get you nowhere. Fearful people cannot move forward. Time has changed you, and power may change Hamas. Disengagement is not the way to go. You're asking Hamas to lay down its arms before talks begin. This is odd, if you ask me. You have military power on your side and they have nothing but their resolve, and their rights. Have you heard the story of the wolves and the sheep who sat at the negotiating table? The wolves asked the sheep to disarm. The sheep obliged, sending away the guard dogs. At which point, the wolves set upon them and devoured them all. The Palestinians are no sheep. They are capable of deterrence and retaliation. You know that, which is good. One should know one's adversaries, for this is what makes it possible to discuss mutual security arrangements. Instead of wasting time, you should act pragmatically. The time of grand dreams is over. The Jews of the Diaspora initially assumed they were going to a land without people. But the land had people, and those people have fought back. The founding fathers wanted to create a Greater Israel, and were victorious in war, but one cannot rely solely on might. Greater Israel was just a dream. And permanent war is not an option. Kadima has been talking about drawing Israel's borders unilaterally. Do you really think this would work? Don't you know that holding on to land can be harder than seizing it? Kadima speaks of a civilian, rather than military, disengagement. In other words, some settlements would be evacuated, but Israel would try to maintain control over Palestinian territories. Israel would try to control the land from the outside, rather than from the inside. Does this make sense? You claim that Israel is all of Palestine. You claim that the limited land that would be given to the Palestinians is part of Israel. You're building an apartheid wall, a wall that carves off 9.5 per cent of the West Bank, a wall that is three times as long as the Berlin Wall and twice as high. Kadima believes that Jerusalem should remain the united capital of Israel. Kadima is hoping to rule Palestine with an iron fist. What kind of peace is this? You may see this as peace. For the Palestinians it's mere capitulation. The Palestinian state you're suggesting is not viable. The West Bank is 5,860 square kilometres; Gaza is 360 square kilometres. Compare that to the total area of Palestine, which is 27,000 square kilometres. In the Palestinian state of your schemes, each Palestinian will have 36 cubic metres of water per year, whereas in average every Israeli uses 2,400 cubic metres of water per year. Where is justice? Mr Prime Minister, peace is just as hard as war. You may have noticed that the world is getting tired of your ambitions. The regional balance of power is shifting. Do you recall the fate of European invaders? They refused to co-exist with their neighbours and were thrown in the sea as a result. Go to the negotiation table and leave your sword at the door. Nothing is more perilous to regional peace than a country that is bent on vengeance. No place is more dangerous than one brimming with injustice and filled with grievance. Time is running out. And security is a two-way street. * The writer is former minister of defence and chief of General Intelligence.
