The day after the completion of the Gaza withdrawal, Israelis and Palestinians will be confronted with important unresolved questions. There is no doubt that the evacuation of Jewish settlers in areas that Israelis consider part of their God-given territory represents a huge ideological reversal. But after years of preaching and practising one of Zionism’s main tenets, will the removal of settlements continue in the West Bank, or will this be a one-time exception?
Palestinians, for their part, will be expected to answer questions about their ability to build a modern pluralistic state. How will the Palestinian body politic deal with the growing power of the Islamic movements that undoubtedly will expect a significant share of power in post-withdrawal Gaza?
The international community also will have to answer some key questions. According to the Palestinian Economic Council for Reconstruction and Development, annual per capita income in Gaza continues to average $700, while Israelis enjoy incomes averaging a $16 000 per capita. In the absence of relatively well-paying jobs, what will happen to the lines of unemployed Gazans? The potential flight of employment seekers is only one problem. More immediately, if Gazans are not well fed, the recurrence of cross-border violence, if not the eruption of a third intifada, will only be a matter of time.
As for the peace process’s multilateral guarantors, the United States and its quartet partners — the European Union, the United Nations and Russia — have failed to provide even the most basic facts regarding Israel’s withdrawal or how it relates to the ”road map” agreed in 2003. They cannot continue to sit on the sidelines. Washington’s quixotic decision to call Israel’s unilateral move part of the road map has failed to convince many Palestinians. The prevailing opinion among Palestinians is that the road map will be put into deep freeze once the Israelis complete their Gaza withdrawal.
But the Palestinian and Israeli peoples, their leaders and the international community must all respond to the challenges that will follow. Most importantly, the future of the conflict and the chances for genuine peace in the region will depend on understanding the limits of offensive military power, defensive resistance and unilateralism. Serious face-to-face talks, in accordance with international law and with the help of the international community, are the only way forward.
Daoud Kuttab is director of the Institute of Modern Media at Al Quds University in Ramallah