Are there any Arabs prepared to condemn Jew-hatred?
In my blog
“Where is A Street?” published on 30 October I posed the following question:
Where do we see anywhere in the Arab world a multiplicity of opinions from Arab interest groups and pro-peace Arab organizations that are opposed to the actions and decisions of the Palestinian Authority in its negotiations with Israel?
I then had argued:
Now more than ever we need to see the emergence of an A Street ["Arab Street"] equivalent to J Street ["Jewish Street"] which will have the courage of its convictions to come out and voice its disagreement with the policies of the Palestinian Authority and argue for:
- accepting 95% of the West Bank and Gaza instead of 100%
- calling for all Palestinian Arabs to settle in their newly created state rather than in Israel
- recognizing Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people.
Unless these Arab voices are publicly heard the Palestinian Authority will be entitled to assume there is universal agreement in the Arab streets of London, Paris, Sydney and Washington with the Authority's negotiating position - so nothing will change to induce Israel to seriously consider any further proposals to those it had made - and seen rejected - in 2000 and 2008.
Following the publication of my blog similar sentiments were expressed in the Jewish Journal on 5 November by David Suissa in an article
“We need “A Street” not “J Street”
Suissa stated:
If you ask me, what the Middle East needs more than anything today is not a J Street but an A Street.
This would be an Arab organization that would do what no Jewish organization can do: rally peace-seeking Arab moderates to the cause of peaceful coexistence with a Jewish state. If the Jews can rally their own for peace, why can’t the Arabs? Why should Jews have an exclusive on self-criticism and internal pressure?
Can you imagine how transformational it would be if a high profile, “pro-Arab, pro-peace” organization pressured Palestinian leaders to dismantle the teaching of Jew-hatred in Palestinian society — a hatred that has made a mockery of all moves toward peace?
Can you imagine the impact on the peace process if 1,500 Palestinian peace activists gathered in Washington, D.C., for a conference against hatred?
In that article I wrote:
I hope that the spark that has thus been lit will turn into a raging bonfire that will bring forth a response from those Arabs who are fed up with the rejectionist and intransigent demands of their leaders.
Well indeed - an Arab response was received on 13 November by the Jewish Journal from Ameen Estaiteyeh who serves on the Board of Directors of the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) in the form of an article entitled
“A Palestinian Response to David Suissa”
The article was effusive in praise of the efforts of ATFP stating that it was:
...precisely the “pro-Arab, pro-peace” group he imagines does not exist, and performs exactly the work he should learn is, in fact, being done”
From its founding in 2003, ATFP has been committed to a negotiated end of conflict agreement between Israel and the Palestinians that results in two states—Israel and Palestine—living side-by-side in peace and security. ATFP advocates an end to the occupation that began in 1967 and the establishment of a Palestinian state that is democratic, pluralistic, non-militarized and neutral in armed conflicts.”
ATFP had identified itself as nothing more than another pro-Arab lobby group advocating the current political line adopted by the Palestinian Authority and the Arab League with possibly one exception - it was calling for a “non -militarized“ state.
Thereafter the article listed an array of lobbying activities pursued in America by AFTP in propounding its policies.
Mr Estaiteyeh concluded:
“I would therefore modestly suggest to Mr. Suissa and everyone else wondering where the pro-Palestine, pro-peace Arab-American organization is to look carefully at the work and track record of the American Task Force on Palestine. It is exactly what he says he is looking for.”
Suissa was not taken in by this self serving statement. This certainly was not the organization he was looking for.
In a terse reply appended to the article Suissa stated:
“Mr. Estaiteyeh completely ignored my point. My idea was not an Arab organization that would trumpet its desire for peace to the Western world—that’s easy. I had something a lot more difficult in mind: An Arab organization—A Street—that would pressure its own Palestinian leadership and institutions to stop the teaching of Jew-hatred to their people. That is internal pressure, the kind you always see in Israel and among Jews. Until the Arab side learns to do the same, peace doesn’t have a chance.”
Suissa got it absolutely right.
AFTP was certainly not the kind of Arab organization I am looking for either.
If there are any other Arab groups in cyberspace who already claim to possess the attributes detailed in David Suissa’s article or my articles - could they please identify themselves as soon as possible.
Are there any Arabs - anywhere in the world - who are prepared to form “A Street”? Or must we simply accept there is a monolithic world wide Arab consensus and opinion that is conveyed in the present positions of the Arab League and the Palestinian Authority?
