Sunday, August 13, 2006
Peace plans need reality check
The good news is a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah will take effect Monday. The bad news is there is no chance for a lasting peace because the politics of the Mideast differ radically from the reality of the Mideast.
The politics of the region have the U.S. and Israel classifying Hezbollah and Hamas as terrorist organizations while the rest of the Mideast views them as freedom fighters. But the reality of the situation is decidedly murkier. Both Hezbollah and Hamas are integral parts of the social fabrics of Lebanon and the West Bank and Gaza Strip. They are the social institutions that take care of their people because their governments can't or are unable to. Hezbollah provides money for health insurance and food for the hungry. Hamas cleans the streets, fixes the sewers and keeps the community running. They both provide money for education and take care of people who have fallen through the cracks.
In southern Lebanon, allegiance to Hezbollah is much higher that it is towards the government because Hezbollah takes care of them. And Hamas has done much to affect the daily lives of Palestinians, and they are grateful for it.
Given these realities, it is completely understandable that the Palestinians would elect Hamas to power and that Hezbollah would draw strong support from the Shiites of southern Lebanon. To think otherwise is preposterous.
Yet we had peace plan between Israel and the Palestinians that couldn't fathom the concept of Hamas winning free and fair elections. Why? Politics. It was easier to ignore and forget about Hamas' political and social clout than it was to create a political reality that included them. And as a result, we have a stalled peace plan and Israel building fences and trenches. Now, we're on our way to a peace plan that doesn't recognize the Hezbollah's political and social clout -- or the fact that they'll rebuild southern Lebanon faster and more effectively than the government will. So much for Olmert's call for Hezbollah to stop existing "as a state within a state."
The politics of the region have the U.S. and Israel classifying Hezbollah and Hamas as terrorist organizations while the rest of the Mideast views them as freedom fighters. But the reality of the situation is decidedly murkier. Both Hezbollah and Hamas are integral parts of the social fabrics of Lebanon and the West Bank and Gaza Strip. They are the social institutions that take care of their people because their governments can't or are unable to. Hezbollah provides money for health insurance and food for the hungry. Hamas cleans the streets, fixes the sewers and keeps the community running. They both provide money for education and take care of people who have fallen through the cracks.
In southern Lebanon, allegiance to Hezbollah is much higher that it is towards the government because Hezbollah takes care of them. And Hamas has done much to affect the daily lives of Palestinians, and they are grateful for it.
Given these realities, it is completely understandable that the Palestinians would elect Hamas to power and that Hezbollah would draw strong support from the Shiites of southern Lebanon. To think otherwise is preposterous.
Yet we had peace plan between Israel and the Palestinians that couldn't fathom the concept of Hamas winning free and fair elections. Why? Politics. It was easier to ignore and forget about Hamas' political and social clout than it was to create a political reality that included them. And as a result, we have a stalled peace plan and Israel building fences and trenches. Now, we're on our way to a peace plan that doesn't recognize the Hezbollah's political and social clout -- or the fact that they'll rebuild southern Lebanon faster and more effectively than the government will. So much for Olmert's call for Hezbollah to stop existing "as a state within a state."
# posted by vinism @ 11:36 AM 
