MK Ephraim Sneh, former Deputy Defense Minister and Head of the Civil Administration of the West Bank, told the Ameinu national board of directors on Sunday, December 2, 2007 that the Annapolis Conference was a success for three principal reasons:
1. A joint statement by the main parties was agreed upon and delivered to attendees and the world press.
2. The Arab world, led by the Saudis and including the Syrians, attended the event.
3. The conference officially launched real negotiations with a structure and a timetable
In addition, it is very important that a conference on Palestinian economic development chaired by Tony Blair will take place this month.
He stated that this process will require “political courage on the part of both Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas. For negotiations to achieve their goal, each side has to give up one national dream:Israel has to give up the dream of a united Jerusalem, Palestinians have to give up their dream of the return of refugees to Israel proper. To achieve peace, Israel and Jews worldwide will have to accept sharing Jerusalem and Palestinians will have to accept that refugees will return to a Palestinian state, not Israel.”
Regarding Jerusalem, Sneh said that with 250,000 Palestinians living in Jerusalem, Israel can’t ignore the demographic issue, one of the motivating factors of territorial compromise. Instead of becoming full Israeli citizens, they should be part of the capital of the Palestinian state. In addressing the thorny question of the holy places in Jerusalem, he sees a Vatican-like arrangement, inclusive of the three monotheistic religions.
He believes that 100,000 – 150,000 settlers will have to be resettled within Israel proper and welcomes the “Settler Evacuation Bill” introduced to the Knesset by MK Colette Avital (Labor) and MK Abu Vilan (Meretz) that offers material compensation to West Bank settlers who want to leave their homes prior to a peace agreement. Unlike the Gaza disengagement which he called “expensive and brutal,” he favors an evacuation plan that uses “heart and common sense” and is handled with care over a 4-5 year period.
Sneh congratulated Ameinu on organizing the rally supporting the conference in Annapolis and in “spearheading American Jewish support for the Israeli government’s peace initiative.”
