A political strategy is proffered in this article,
one which in my humble opinion, enables the formation of a gradual process
which will lead, employing confidence-building measures, step-by-step to
the formation of peaceful and neighborly relations without a “contractual”
peace treaty, without concessions on substantive issues and vital
interests, and without taking unnecessary risks. This policy avoids any
attempt to make dramatic decisions over brief periods of time and does not
take any shortcuts. It attaches significance to the psychological aspects,
which typify the conflict and relies on Israel’s economic strength, on its
ability to grow quickly and to adjust to changes relatively easily. The
policy ascribes to hope and faith in a better future, and greater strength
in frustrating violence than any other measure. The incitement to hatred
and violence is a chronic societal illness, which, in the long run, harms
its purveyors much more than it affects the objects of its hatred and the
victims of its violence. The efforts to build a community of this sort is
likely to restore the dynamism, the vision and the creative initiative to
the Zionist revolution, which have eroded and dissipated over recent
decades, and to furnish us with more favorable conditions for its
realization. Specifically, when the “guns are firing”, there is a need to
create a new understanding. May we be successful in internalizing the
dictum of our sages: “Who is a hero? One who converts an enemy into a
friend.”
