10/11/2016

Twenty years on, what would have happened had Rabin lived?

November10,2016Thursday9Heshvan5777
9:35IST

YitzhakRabin.(Photoby:REUTERS)

Twenty years on, what would have happened had Rabin

lived?
By ARIEL ZILBER
10/27/2015

The slain prime ministers legacy swings from Mr. Peace to Mr. Security, depending on who you ask.

TonationalisthawkswhoarekeentoholdontotheentireLandofIsrael,YitzhakRabin
wasthegruffformergeneralwhowouldhaveseentheerrorofhiswaysandreversed
yearsofpeacemakingthatbroughtustheOsloAccordsandthebirthofPalestinian
selfrule.
Israelidoves,ontheotherhand,areconvincedthathadrightwingassassinYigalAmir
neverenteredthenationalconsciousness,Rabinwouldhavefollowedthroughona
withdrawalfrommostifnotalloftheWestBankanddelineatedaborderbetween
IsraelandasovereignPalestinianstate,bringingthecenturyoldZionistArabconflictto
anend.
SowhatwouldhavehappenedhadRabinlived?
YossiBeilinwasdeputyforeignministerduringthesecondRabinadministration.Inthe
early1990s,itwasBeilin,whotogetherwithagroupofIsraeliacademicsandlawyers,
initiatedthefirstcontactswiththePalestineLiberationOrganization.
Theseinformaltalkswouldeventuallyevolveintofullblownnegotiationsthatyielded
theOsloAccords,adocumentinwhichbothsidesextendedmutualrecognitionwhile
committingtomoretalksthatwouldpresumablyleadtoafinalstatusagreement.
TwodecadesafterRabinskilling,thepeaceprocessappearstobegaspingitslast
breath,whileBeilin,wholeftpoliticsin2008afterashort,unsuccessfulstintasheadof
Meretz,canonlywonderwhatif?
Forstarters,inhisopinion,wewouldhavelikelyseenRabinsignanagreementwith
themanwhotothatpointwasIsraelsmostimplacableenemy.
IthinkthathereallywantedtoreachanagreementwiththeSyrians,BeilintoldThe
JerusalemPost.AndIthinkeventuallyhewouldvesucceededinmakingadealwith
[thenpresident]HafezAssad.

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10/11/2016

Twenty years on, what would have happened had Rabin lived?

AsforthePalestinianquestion,Beilinsaidthatheandhisstaffessentiallydidallofthe
homeworkforRabininthemonthsleadinguptohisassassination.ItwasBeilinwho
concludedaninformaldealwithMahmoudAbbas,thenthetopdeputytoPAchairman
YasserArafat,thatbecameknownastheBeilinAbuMazenunderstandings,thenon
bindingdocumentwhichcontainedtheprovisionsofafinalstatusaccord.Rabin,alas,
didnotlivelongenoughtoseeit.
ImnotentirelysurethathewouldveagreedtoadopttheBeilinAbuMazenagreement
beforethefiveyeardeadlineasindicatedintheOsloAccords,Beilinsaid.That
wouldvemeantseriouslytalkingaboutafinalstatusdealasearlyas1996inthespirit
oftheagreementthatwereached.
WiththerecentflareupinIsraeliPalestinianviolencethrustingJerusalembackintothe
spotlight,manywonderwhetherRabinwouldveagreedtopartitionthecity,despitehis
longstandingpositionthatthestatusofIsraelscapitalwasnonnegotiable.Beilin,
however,thinksthatthemanwholiberatedtheeasternhalfofthecityasIDFchiefof
staffin1967wouldhaveeventuallycomearoundtohisviewthatpeacecouldnotbe
reachedwithoutsharingitwithanewbornstateofPalestine.
EverybodysdividingJerusalemthesedays,theformerforeignministersaid.[Former
primeministerEhud]OlmertwasreadytodivideJerusalem.Thesamewith[Avigdor]
Liberman.EveryoneunderstandsthatitssimplyidiotictospeakofthePalestinian
refugeecampsaspartofJerusalem.
EventhosewhospeakaboutanundividedJerusalemastheeternalcapitaldont
reallymeantheArabstreetsintheeasternpartwherebarelyanyJewsgo.Theyare
talkingabouttheJewishpartsofJerusalemthathavebeenbuiltupovertheyearsas
wellastheOldCity.
AlargeconstituencyinIsraeldoesntshareBeilinsview.AccordingtoProf.Efraim
Inbar,theheadoftheBeginSadatCenterforStrategicStudiesatBarIlanUniversity,
RabinslegacyisnotoneofMr.PeacebutMr.Security.
Idontthink[Rabinbeingalive]wouldhavechangedmuch,hesaid.Whatweare
seeing[intheMiddleEast]arehistoricforcesthathavenothingtodowithIsrael.Andif
wetalkaboutthepeaceprocessorsocalledpeaceprocesswiththePalestinians
RabinwasveryambivalentaboutthePalestinianpartner.
Fromtheveryfirstday[oftheOsloAccords],ourintelligencebriefedhimthatArafat
violatedtheagreementbybringinginweapons.TheheadofintelligencetoldRabinthat
[thePalestinians]werentpreparingforpeace,butforwar.Andweallknowthejihadist
declarationsbyArafat.Hedidntturnoverterrorists.
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10/11/2016

Twenty years on, what would have happened had Rabin lived?

RabinssuspicionsofthePalestiniansandhisdistasteforArafatwerewellknown,
accordingtoInbar.
RabinsagreementwithArafatwasterritoriesforsecurity,notterritoriesforpeace,he
said.Hewantedthesamesituation[withthePalestinians]thatwehavewithEgyptand
Jordan.
AccordingtoDouglasAltabef,anAmericanolehwhoservesontheboardoftheNGO
ImTirtzu,Rabinsassassinationcontinuestobeagreatsourceofpain,notjust
becauseagreatmanwastakenfromusbutalsobecauseitwasindicativeofthe
divisionswithinAmYisrael,divisionsthathavenotnecessarilyhealed.
Whenyouhavealittlebitofcriticaldistancetimewisefromseminalleaders,yousee
thatthereisadifferencebetweenthelifethattheyledandthelegacytheyenjoyed,he
said.TheresalotthatisattributedtoRabinthatisnotnecessarilywhatRabinwas
about.
EvenRabinsmostwideeyedadmirersontheLeftwouldagreethathiscareerasa
peacemakerwasprecededbyyearsasadefensehawk.Asamemberofthe
opposition,hesupportedtheLikudledgovernmentsdecisiontoinvadeLebanon.As
defenseministerduringtheoutbreakofthefirstintifada,hefamouslyinstructedIDF
soldierstobreakthebonesofPalestinianstonethrowersandrioters.Itisthisimage
ofthesurly,suspiciousRabinthesabrageneralwhoconqueredterritoryratherthan
relinquisheditthatthoseontheRightprefertorememberwhenevertheanniversary
ofhisdeathapproaches.
IcertainlyhavegreatrespectforRabinasaleader,Altabefsaid.Werehealivetoday,
Imnotsurethathewouldbeembracingthatwhichisbeingsaidinhisname.Hewas
neverinfavorofdividingJerusalem,andhewasneverwildlyinfavorofcreatinga
Palestinianstate.
IthinktheimportantthingistorecognizethatRabinwasagreatZionist,agreat
believerinthepeopleofIsrael,thenationofIsrael,theStateofIsrael,andweare
diminishedforhisloss.

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