|
PAFSO Awards
STEVE HIBBARD
STEVE HIBBARD
To view video of presentation click below:
Real Time (16 mg)
My introduction to the Middle East came with my first posting, to Nasser’s Egypt in 1969. Those were tense days following Egypt’s defeat in the Six Day War. The War of Attrition was on, with artillery barrages across the Suez Canal, Israeli and Egyptian commando attacks on opposing positions, and frequent Israeli air raids on targets in the Cairo area. One Egyptian security measure was to force everyone to paint the headlights on their cars blue, which meant nothing could be seen when driving after dark. Apart from heightened risk of collision blue headlights had many other consequences. Like approaching Alexandria after dark in a torrential rain; seeing little more than a car length ahead; thinking one was taking the turn off to the beach resort of Agami; ending up on one of the SAM 3 missile sites being built for Egypt by the Soviets in the hope of fending off Israeli Phantom Jets and being dressed down at some length by a very angry Russian colonel.
From the perspective of Ramallah, thirty-five years later, in some ways it seems like deja vu. One doesn’t really appreciate how well a modern tank cannon can track a target until it's locked onto your car - - my wife insists it was pointed directly at her - - following unerringly through every dip and turn in the road as you try to lose the tank until stopped by an armoured personnel carrier and forced back towards that menacing cannon.
Not that there have not been lighter moments, such as Ramallah hosting officers from the Embassy in Tel Aviv for one of our regular staff meetings. All went well until a series of horrendous explosions shook the office. We in Ramallah were used to that sort of thing. Just the Israelis firing some more rockets and tank shells at Arafat’s compound a few blocks away. But our Tel Aviv colleagues seemed unable to maintain their focus. Not only did they lose all interest in the agenda, they declined to stay on for lunch.
More seriously, my career as a foreign service officer has given me an extraordinary education in Middle East issues, especially the Arab-Israeli and Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. For that education I am very grateful. I was in Cairo when Nasser died and Egypt begin the process of moving away from the Soviet Union and towards the West.
- In Cairo when Sadat payed his historic visit to Jerusalem.
- Followed Middle East issues from Washington and witnessed first hand the special USA-Israeli relationship in all its complexity including the roles of Congress and special interest groups.
- In Tel Aviv at the time of the Oslo Accords and the Rabin-Arafat handshake and from Cairo once again, witnessed the fading of hope in the years following the assassination of Yitzak Rabin.
That education has given me strong views. Most of them would be inappropriate to discuss here. But let me make a few points:
- The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a running sore. I have seen with my own eyes, over many years, how much it contributes to extremism and anti-western sentiment in the Middle East.
- Long experience with ordinary Israelis and Palestinians convinces me that the vast majority of both would welcome the firm leadership, domestic but especially international, that would lead the way to a just political solution to the conflict. The parties appear long past the point where they can resolve the conflict on their own.
- Resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would leave many other problems in the Middle East. But it is a core issue and removing it from the table would greatly facilitate the task of tackling other issues, such as terrorism inspired by Islamic extremism.
- Canada’s fair-minded Middle East policy, with its emphasis on international legitimacy and a just two state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, puts us just about where we should be. It also enables us to deal effectively both with our Israeli and Palestinian interlocutors and other concerned parties whether in the Middle East or elsewhere.
Over the past three years I have witnessed enormous suffering and violence among Israelis and Palestinians. Both peoples deserve far better. Unfortunately, there is little sign of either side producing a de Gaulle, a de Klerk or a Nelson Mandela to help lead them out of the conflict. Continued Israeli settlement activity together with military incursions and the barrier in the West Bank make the prospects for an early and satisfactory political solution to the conflict appear ever more remote. Without decisive leadership the conflict could continue to shatter the lives of Israelis and Palestinians for years to come while doing untold damage to relations between the west and the Islamic world.
Canada and like minded countries cannot play an immediately decisive role. But we do have an enormous reservoir of credibility with Israelis and Palestinians upon which we can draw.
Building democratic Palestinian institutions, supporting the rule of law, creating bridges between the parties themselves and the larger Arab world, maintaining our concern for refugees. These are all things Canada can do well. It is not action on an heroic scale but it does create the foundation upon which the parties and international community can build when a turning point comes in the conflict as come it will.
In the meantime, perhaps the most positive contribution Canada can make is to maintain the conviction, and share it with the parties, that their differences are not irreconcilable. We must do all we can to build hope for a better future.
|
