At this time of growing Arab pride and emancipation, Israelis who care about peace should not act to provoke knee-jerk reactions among Arabs. Israel is not back to square one with the Egyptian state, but Israel never moved much beyond that square with the people of Egypt. Perhaps, this is the time for Israeli civil society groups to show good will toward a neighboring nation in its fight against oppression. But the first order of business of peace loving Israelis is to challenge the extremists in their government to recommit themselves to supporting basic human rights for non-Jews.
The Islamophobic Israeli PM, along with his supporters in Washington, communicate belligerence that boils down to a self-defeating message that Israel can feel safe only if the Arabs are controlled by oppressors. Robert Satloff of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy suggested using U.S aid to convince Arab leaders to write discrimination into their constitutions. He called this betrayal of American values "Discriminating Democracy". (Washington Post, 1/30/2011). Israeli leaders right and left praise Mubarak for his friendship, but they have nothing good to say about Egyptians turning inward to clean their political house. Instead they are busy hyping the spector of another Iran in Egypt. In response, one junior Muslim Brotherhood leader suggested that Egypt should prepare for war.
Obviously, peacemaking will be more difficult with proud Arab peoples. Israel will condemn itself to isolation if it fails to explore the cultural aspects of peace. Israel now has a window of opportunity to explore this negleted aspect of peacemaking. But there are some obstacles. Egyptians are struggling now to transition to a civilian-led state that caters to the needs of its population. Israel on the other hand is a militant society. Israeli non-senior adults are either full time or part-time combatants. Perhaps this is time for Israeli NGOs to project a softer image of Israel to Arab audiences.
More importantly, Israeli leaders must rethink their approach to peace now that they can have a chance for the first time in their history to talk to governments who can bring their populations on board. The first question is the grounds on which Israel will stand to talk to Arab democracies that rule through agreements. Currently Israel refuses to negotiate on the basis of the Road Map or UN resolutions. Israel seems only interested in continuous meetings with Arab leaders while it pursues an inhumane siege of Gaza and aggressive settlement activities in the West Bank. To many Egyptians, Israel has already violated the Camp David Accord with Egypt. The agreement created a framework for ending the Israeli occupation of Arab lands.
The Israelis should muster the confidence to see the spreading anti-dictatorship spirit in the Arab world as an historical opportunity. Instead of feeling a rising threat, Israelis should read the course of history more accurately. They also should come to appreciate the fact that Arabs have strong reasons to feel that Israel, the only country in the region with nuclear weapons, is a threat to their existence and prosperity. But Arabs should give Israel some time to absorb the sudden change. Israelis had been accostomed to work with Arab strongmen who were able to control their peoples while the Israelis pursued occupation. Israel must appreciate that the new freedoms will mean that anti-Israel voices will enjoy large spaces to vent their frustration; but Cairo and other Arab capitals will not rush going to war.
The new Arab leaders will cater first and foremost to their voters. But they do not have much to offer their populations except the removal of obstacles that have arrested the ability of young people to fullfil their dreams. Israeli leaders who will choose to connect with the good side of Arab youths are the visionaries who will serve their people properly and champion the cause of peace.
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