Dear. Mr. Harper
Change isn’t easy – it never
is. That being said, I thought I ‘d sit down and take a few minutes to write
you a send off letter for your road trip to the Middle East. This being your
first visit and all, and my being a Canadian Israeli who has worked under a
former Israeli PM, I thought a few insider tips and insights might be helpful. It’s a bit long but we have a lot to cover.
With Sharon’s recent passing
and the stalled round of meetings we can mark how much time we have been stuck in
the same foxtrot for peace (an old complex style of fancy footwork). He
epitomized the contrast and conflict that characterizes Israeli politics. As a
founding leader he literally bulldozed the landscape in the name of security
and yet also withdrew from it. Ironically even in the current inertia amongst
leaders who dig in their heels in obstinate tit for tat rhetoric, there isn’t
complete stagnancy on the ground. Things move and change whether we like it or
not.
The practical aim to keep
Israel Jewish and democratic in a two state solution, (which is what Yitzhak
Rabin, Ariel Sharon, Benjamin Netanyahu and yes even you Mr. Harper want) – is
waning. Fearfully, with each cycle of failed negotiations a one state democracy
of Jews and Palestinians will gain momentum and may become the only moral
imperative for the geographic area between the Mediterranean and the Jordan
River in the eyes of an already critical world. You’ve clearly shown yourself to be ready to
stand against that reality as a moral obligation to the Jewish state time and
again.
And now you are here for a visit
– entering side stage, slowly gliding with a smile onto the centre of the dance
floor called Israel and the Middle East.
You’re ready to back Israel and really step into the arena - that’s
great – there are some lessons I learned while living and working in government
over there that might be of help.
1.
Being strong sometimes means compromising. Living the life of a Sabra – Israeli - is tough,
exuberant, and at times exhausting. Its always a challenge, and is often not
graceful, but its sure footed even when the ground beneath may be crumbling in
conflict. Sharon and many like him lived this way, knowing that loving the land
and building a home for the Jewish people would lead to contradictions. Pulling
back to keep what you cherish most safe is at times the only real answer. Yitzhak
Rabin, knew this, so did Sharon, so does Shimon Peres. All men of war and
politics, they understood that disengagement from the Palestinian Territories and
a resolution were going to be the tools to ensure this special place that held
the Jewish heart would have a future.
2.
Israel lives in a tough neighbourhood. Sharon understood that and put the defense of the
country first. But as a unilateral decision maker (sort of like you and your
friend Bibi) he made mistakes, reckless judgments and then learned from them.
In the Middle East, war and politics can run at warp speed – I’m just not sure
that Canada can keep up. Certainly a kind supportive word helps in a crisis,
but are you really prepared to step into it beyond a warm relationship that is
essentially a diplomatic holding pattern of the status quo? It will change in a
flash at some point – are you sure you’re ready? Words won't cut it when it does.
3.
Israelis are passionate, creative and innovative in
spite of the conflict that surrounds them. Its GDP would be the envy of most Western nations if it wasn’t for the
ongoing cost of defense, and state sponsored settlement subsidization with
programs that include income tax breaks, cheaper housing and purchase
incentives to live over the Green Line. You’re going to support Israel but why?
Israel doesn’t really need Canada if its just about economic ties. Tech wise
they are light years ahead and Canadian investment hasn’t “shown the money”
that Israeli start-ups seek. We’re slow here and our economy is stagnating –
the numbers just came in. So what are you offering if only a warm shoulder of support
and to hold up old ideas that just won’t work in the long term for the Jewish
State?
4.
Time is working against a resolution to the conflict. Arik recognized like Yitzhak Rabin before him that the
clock is ticking on a two state solution. Already in spite of the ongoing
conflict younger generations are looking at different alternatives, among both
Palestinians and Israelis. Positioning Canada to be Israel’s friend on only the
economic front with a watered down hands off approach to the realpolitik of
Israel isn’t useful nor does it characterize what Canada could be doing to contribute
meaningfully in the region.
Being Israel’s ally while
ignoring the realities of the conflict is a limited view when its shaped largely in part
by personal convictions and a Jewish Diaspora. However supportive and proud the Diaspora is of Israel, it cannot and should not try to live
vicariously through the Israeli experience. They are fundamentally different. A shared religion and cultural heritage yes, a common history yes, a common fight against the global rise in anti-Semitism yes, but a modern narrative that is poles apart when it comes to the future of the Jewish state. Bibi appreciates your unwavering support but your buy-in with Israelis is short
sighted because as Canadians you’re not bringing much to the table at the
moment other than a solidarity flag. Yes they are grateful for that, but its
not enough. Good friends on the international stage help their allies get out
of the mud, not just step into it with them. In this case Israel needs a good
friend not just a good ally. Canadian foreign policy once had that as its
hallmark. It’s the same foreign policy approach and vision that lead me to return
to Israel in the first place in the early ‘90s to study diplomacy there –
because I had a different view from here.
The entrepreneurial spirit of
the passionate Sabra who has a zeal for growth and innovation isn’t reflective
in the political landscape that Canadians perceive of Israel at the moment. Many see a tireless conflict of haves and have nots, injustices and
violence that are part of a very complex narrative. However, Israelis are
tired. Nation building alongside a neighbouring state just isn’t on the agenda
anymore. The middle class poor, racism and the multitude of issues that are the
malaise of many Western democracies exist in Israel too. And those issues
aren’t getting addressed at the state level, because Israeli domestic politics
have centred around unifying the national questions of security, and survival in
a land where the conflict is domestic policy, and not some war waged somewhere
else.
Politics in Israel, and under the Palestinian Authority is about holding power in fractured
political systems, and stagnant policies that do not initiate real change. For
Israel under Netanyahu it has meant building settlements while demanding
recognition, instilling a unifying sense of common enemies – the PA, Hamas and
Iran - to remain dancing to the same old tune in a coalition built on settler
values and right wing viewpoints.
For Palestinians under the PA
they too stick to their dance routine, crying foul to every bulldozer because
it’s easier to perpetuate a myth of a full return to a land that they know they
need to share. In fear of losing power they ignore rampant corruption and
internal struggles for influence. I get why Canada is reducing aid to the PA-
they need to get their house in order, but what are we doing to facilitate that
beyond financial reprimands?
For Canadians it’s the
reality that the same problems and many more that lay ahead as we fall further
behind in stabilizing our economy. Our role internationally as a medium power
with a legacy of being the honest broker is slowly eroding. In the name of
economic policy Canada is systematically shutting out the need for multilateral
diplomacy as a global citizen.
Being an ally with Israel means
facilitating making the hard choices. Mr. Harper, you are going to visit Israel
to show the world that Israel deserves to be recognized as the only democracy
in the Middle East and a Jewish one at that. You’re right - it does. It also
has to take the steps necessary for getting out of this slow and painful waltz.
Of course trade and technology, water conservation and even natural gas are
important. But the bottom line is: without a stable society that isn’t burdened
politically and economically by conflict it’s just not sustainable. Israel has
been a fly by the seat of your pants state for over 60 years and has done it
beautifully to great success. But we can all do better to prevent another generation
of Israelis and Palestinians being conscripted into protracted conflict.
I
hope on your visit you meet with Israelis like Nitzan Horowitz of Meretz and
Yitzhak Herzog of Labour– Israeli political parties who really are in it for
the long haul and trying to elicit change. I hope you meet with Palestinians
like Bashar Masri who is building new visions for sustainable Palestinian
communities in the West Bank. And Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish a leader in medical
research in Israel who now lives here, yes in Canada, but whose story brought
Israel to a standstill one dreadful night in January of 2009 when his Gazan
home was bombed by Israeli troops in Operation Cast Lead killing three of his
daughters. Amazingly he is still an advocate of peace because of his conviction
that it is the only option for both sides. Meet them- hear their stories and
views – they matter in understanding what makes Israel tick.
You and Mr. Netanyahu have applauded
yourselves for repeating the mantra on Israel’s right to exist and defend
itself. It does and its true. However, the condescension in your “rightness” –
is leading you both on the road to nowhere, where one day you may wake up to a
new Israel that is a binational one rather than a vision you could shape now
with actions, not only words. Gregory
David Roberts in his book Shantaram, aptly wrote:“[p]oliticians soldiers and
holy men are only ever good at what they do if they stay humble”. Israel in all that it represents - all of its
history and hopes, all that it endures and inflicts is humbling. Mr. Harper as you travel to the Middle East
for the first time, I hope you see the beauty and the energy of this place of
purpose and think about what this trip could be but most likely won’t as you
and Mr. Netanyahu risk becoming the last couple on the dance floor long after
the spotlight is out.
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