Israel Symposium Testimonial

From Dr. Irving Peyser: Meretz USA 2009 Israel Symposium Participant*

Whereas I have been interested in Israeli politics for many years, and I have visited Israel numerous times in the past, I never had the opportunity on those occasions to critically examine the problems and challenges facing Israel. But by joining all of you for the past week on Meretz USA's unique and fascinating Israel Symposium, I believe I have achieved these goals and more.

The timing of the Symposium could not have been better planned, following on the heels of the Israeli elections. The theme, for the most part, was the peace process and the prospects for peace, and this, too, was right on target for this most critical time in the lives of both Israelis and Palestinians.

From the outset I wish to state that, whereas my political views at home have consistently leaned to the Right in the political spectrum, my views on the Israeli political scene have tended to be centrist. This Symposium was sponsored by Meretz USA, and I can fully understand that the emphasis on the speakers' affiliations and their topics for discussion would truly reflect the view from the Left and the Meretz ideology. I readily acknowledge there was included as counterpoint a fair cross-section of viewpoints from the Israeli Right.

I was truly impressed by nearly every speaker that met with us. They were warm, friendly, outgoing and anxious to dialogue with us. The informal setting, with participants and speaker sitting around a table, lent itself more readily to a relaxed and easy exchange of ideas.

The range of topics gave me the opportunity to more deeply understand the difficulties and barriers Israelis and Palestinians face, not only on a governmental level, but on a personal level as well. I was deeply moved as we sat in Nomika Tzion's house in Sderot as she recounted the daily terror she experienced most recently in the Gaza War, with the resultant psychological scars she must now live with. I was equally distressed as I watched the videos shown to us by Oren from B'Tselem, documenting the numerous human rights violations in the Occupied Territories by various segments of the Israeli population. Both these personal narratives crystallized for me the terror, anguish, and despair being felt on both sides of the conflict.

It was reassuring to listen to those speakers who came before us, outlining their attempts to bridge the ever-deepening gap between Israelis and Palestinians, and their struggle to reestablish long overdue basic human and civil rights to those living in the Occupied Territories. From Professor Neve Gordon's joint Jewish-Arab kindergarten in Beersheva, to Tania Hary's Gisha movement, protecting the freedom of movement of Palestinians, to Hagit Ofran's Peace Now Settlement Watch, providing the Israeli public with much needed information regarding settlement activity in the Occupied Territories, my hope is their scope and influence will expand exponentially in the coming years.
The trip to Ramallah was both exciting and uplifting for me personally. I so enjoyed our dialogue with Samih El Abed, the Palestinian peace negotiator. Although he expressed pessimism, it was refreshing to see how sincere his aspirations were for an eventual sovereign Palestinian state in which he and his family could live in peace and dignity.

Whereas the majority of the Meretz speakers painted a truly distressing and bleak picture for the very soul and existence for Israel itself, there were several speakers that offered rays of hope. The optimism shared by Alon Liel, as he described to us the ongoing backchannel talks with Syria and the recent near-breakthrough with President Assad was most heartwarming to hear.

After having listened to all the speakers at this Symposium, I am convinced that the only way we will achieve a just, durable and mutually acceptable peace in the region is through a two-state solution. I believed this to be true before this meeting, and I am more convinced of it as a result of this Symposium.

Israel has had only one true and trusted friend in the international community over the years, and that is the U.S. We now are finally blessed with a U.S. Administration that appears to be committed to tackling the entire Middle East dilemma - not just the Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative - extending an open hand to Iran and Syria as well.

Obama was elected because he was not only a charismatic and articulate and intelligent leader, but he represented a clean break from the past and embodied a vision that captured an American public desperately looking for change. In the Middle East, not only are the local players at ground zero eagerly seeking a solution to peace, the international community will soon be demanding a resolution of many of the most urgent problems in the region.

I may be naïve, or perhaps I inhaled too deeply from my hookah in Ramallah, but I just have a gut feeling that President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton, along with Special Envoy George Mitchell, have the ability and wherewithal to garner enough support from Congress, the Jewish community and the American people to achieve this long-sought-after goal.

In closing, let me state that whereas all my Israeli friends and the majority of my family and friends back home fall into the far, far Right when it comes to Israeli politics, I certainly intend to bring back, as a result of my experience this past week, a more balanced view of the various problems Israel faces today, with the hope that this may resonate with one or two of them, who will hopefully become as enthusiastic as I was to attend such a scintillating, meaningful and relevant Symposium, as you at Meretz USA have put together over the past eight days.

* Remarks by Dr. Irving Peyser at the closing session of the Meretz USA Israel Symposium, March 21, 2009