After Wikileaks, how can people still ask about a partner for peace?

Letter to Jewish Chronicle, 5th Feb 2011 (not published)

Dear Editor

Your 4th February issue carries some curious letters. JD Norman states that the Palestinians and their Arab allies still claim 100% of Israel and the occupied territories. Clive Hyman believes the majority of Palestinians want a peaceful solution but “the same cannot be said for their leaders”.

I wonder if they have missed the recent wikileaks revelations about the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. These revealed that the Palestinian leadership did in fact offer remarkable concessions in order to establish a Palestinian state not in 100%, but in just the 22% of territories that is the West Bank and Gaza. Whatever doubts people may have had in the past, these leaks made clear that there is a Palestinian partner for peace. The difficult question that we must ask is whether there is an Israeli partner for peace.

It has long been apparent that the majority of Israelis want a peaceful solution that recognises Palestinian needs. But the leaks made clear that the current government is not ready to make a deal. The recent turbulence, in Egypt and elsewhere in the region, makes clear the urgent need for action. Surely the only long-term security for Israel lies in a permanent agreement with the Palestinians themselves, that provides security for Israelis and statehood for the Palestinians. Yours Henry Stewart