For Israeli activist, vote for Palestine is a step towards peace
Tel Aviv (AsiaNews) - For Ron Pundak, "The vote on Palestine at the UN starts a new process that had been stalled for far too long." Speaking to AsiaNews, he explained that the UN resolution will help Israel and the international community "respect and work for the principle of 'Two peoples, Two states,' living side by side, in peace". Pundak is the president of the Peace Forum, an umbrella organisation of some 60 Israeli peace groups. Last night in Tel Aviv, the latter celebrated Palestine's admission to the United Nations as non-member state almost at the same time as people in Palestinian cities.
Ron Pundak is well-known for his pacifist views. In the past, he worked for the Oslo Accords in 1993 that laid the ground for the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.
"The vote on Palestine at the UN for non-state membership is very important," he told AsiaNews. "It will start a new process that had been stalled for too long. The recognition of Palestine as a 'non-member state' within the pre-1967 borders will help the international community respect and work for the principle of 'Two peoples, Two states,' side by side, in peace."
"This international recognition could help Israel's domestic situation as well. Currently, the country has the most rejectionist government one could imagine with regards to the 'Two peoples, Two states' solution."
Benjamin Netanyahu's government, backed by Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beytenu party, has taken a hard-line against the Palestinians, supporting the expansion of Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories, which makes the possibility of a Palestinian state that much harder to achieve.
"On 22 January elections will be held, and Israelis will be able to decide in favour of a peace solution."
Under the influence perhaps of this government, Israelis show signs of close-mindedness and veiled racism. There have been proposals for the future that would see a single Israeli state in which Palestinians become second-class citizens.
"As far as I know, Israelis want a deal with the Palestinians, and can think about the possibility of living side by side with them in peace," Pundak said. "However, for such an idea to flourish, we need leaders like Rabin, or Olmert, who in the past took real steps towards peace."
Yitzhak Rabin headed the government that signed the Oslo Accords with Yasser Arafat. He was killed by a Jewish extremist from the settlements in 1995.
Ehud Olmert started talks with Syria, Lebanon and other Arab countries in view of achieving an overall peace deal in the Middle East. He resigned in 2008 after his enemies accused him of corruption.
"I am a realist and not easily swayed by optimism. Elections will be held in three months. We must work towards this change," he added.
Yesterday, on the eve of the UN vote, Olmert wrote "that the Palestinian request from the United Nations is congruent with the basic concept of the two-state solution." We "in Israel will have to engage in a serious process of negotiations, in order to agree on specific borders based on the 1967 lines, and resolve the other issues."
The former Israeli prime minister has not said whether he would run for office in January.
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