Israeli civilians seek to build bridges
Nicholas Blanford
(Beirut)Daily Star staff
An immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Israeli forces
from the south is essential if the Jewish state is ever to forge
ties of understanding and peace with the Lebanese,
according to the spokesman of an Israeli pressure group
opposing the occupation.
In an interview conducted by e-mail with The Daily Star,
Shaul Zadka of the “Four Mothers” organisation insisted
there was nothing to gain from the occupation, which served
only to isolate the Jewish state from its Arab neighbours.
“We believe that if we declare a will to pull out, we will
change the average attitude of the Lebanese to Israel. It
would not happen overnight but we have to start building
bridges,” he said. “The people in Israel offer their hands to
their ‘Jiran’ (neighbours) and they believe that once a friendly
contact is established, the mutual demonisation will
gradually cease.”
The “Four Mothers” was established following the mid-air
helicopter collision on February 4 last year, in which 65
Israeli soldiers and eight airmen were killed. The helicopters
were en route to south Lebanon and the crash was the final
straw for four mothers of Israeli soldiers serving in the
occupation zone.
“Their children lost a friend in the disaster. They concluded
that it was time to do something about the situation, which
has been dealt with before only by the military and political
establishments,” Zadka said. He added that the Israeli media
had chosen the group’s name after the Biblical figures of
Sarah, Rebecca, Lea and Rachel.
“Thousands of people signed our petitions and hundreds are
registered as members, many of them activists. We are
organising various activities which include demonstrations,
picket lines every Friday on the main road junctions in the
country, participating in panels, as well as lobbying
politicians and ex-officers and maintaining constant contact
with the press in Israel and abroad,” he said.
Last Sunday, the group announced it would seek to contact
Lebanese civilians to lobby for an Israeli withdrawal.
“We want them (the Lebanese) to believe us, if not the
(Lebanese) government, and understand our leaving their
country is not only for the sake of our soldiers but for the
future relations between the two countries,” Zadka said.
The campaigner admitted the Israeli government was unused
to mass public protests calling for a withdrawal but added
that the group’s views have registered with some politicians.
“The Israeli government does not know how to ‘digest’ us,
since it has to deal with a group, unknown before in its
nature, which advocates an end to the Israeli military
presence in Lebanon, even by initiating a unilateral
withdrawal from the region,” he said. “Ministers are meeting
with us, and some of them agree with us. Others are
hesitating and the rest are adamant the only solution should
be an agreement with the governments of Lebanon and
Syria.”
Nonetheless, Zadka believed that Israeli defence minister
Yitzhak Mordechai had been sincere in announcing his
recognition of resolution 425, despite continuing to insist on
security guarantees before pulling out.
“I tend to believe that Israel’s willingness to adopt 425 is
genuine. This is the mood in the country and we, partially at
least, pushed the defence minister to make such remarks two
weeks ago. Yes, it could be regarded as a PR stunt or a ‘trial
balloon’, but let’s call Israel’s bluff and see,” he stated.
Zadka, who lectures in political science and communication
at Bar-Illan University, argued that the Israeli government
does not believe it can split the Lebanon-Syria track in the
peace process.
“The prevailing attitude in Jerusalem is that nothing will move
without the Syrians, so nobody is under the illusion that any
declaration will drive a wedge between Syria and Lebanon,”
he said. Admitting
it was sometimes difficult to reassure residents of northern
Israel they would not be exposed to cross-border attacks
following a withdrawal, he nonetheless acknowledged that
Hizbullah was a legitimate resistance movement.
“Four Mothers and many (Israeli) soldiers regard them as
guerrillas who conduct a legitimate warfare. It would have
been easy for us to put forward such an argument if we were
convinced that in the event of a pull out, Hizbullah will let the
Lebanese army fill the gap and take over the vacant Israeli
positions. But the Galilee is really worried about the
aftermath of such a move,” he said.
However, he maintained that most Israelis, including the
government, support a pullout, adding that it is only the
manner of withdrawing that has divided the nation. “Those
who oppose us are concerned that a pull-out will jeopardise
the safety of our settlements in the north… We don’t see the
point in the security zone. It does no good for our integration
into the region and reinforces Arab hostility towards us,” he
said. “Now, more than ever, we believe the ground is
prepared for such a move vis-ŕ-vis Israeli public opinion.”
Email: yona@netvision.net.il