5 years without Rabin

[Anat]

Yesterday was the 5th year to the assasination of Yithak Rabin. I went with Tzachi to the special memorial event which is held annually in the place where he was murdered last night.

It was really sad. There were somewhat like 100,000 people and everyone looked so sad. Especially as the peace process which he started is in such a bad shape.

{bawling}

[jamesglewisf]

Wow! I can't believe it's been five years. It sure hasn't seemed that long.

[rs0522]

If I am not being too personal...

How do you feel about the current state of affairs in Israel? What chance does the peace process have at this point, in your opinion?

I can't imagine what it must be like to live in a country undergoing such turmoil.

The press in this country is always trying to create the idea that the violence is dying away. Is that your perception?

I would be interested in your opinion if you are willing to share.

Shalom,
rs0522

[Anat]

Sure, I'd love to discuss local matters!

Well, things are not going too well. There's not any violence where I live (Tel Aviv) and life continues pretty much as ususal. But the general mood is not so good. I belong to the left-wing of the Israeli political spectrum. I am so deisappoined with the Palestinians. There was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to achieve real peace with Barak as prime minister and they blew it.

It's a real shame. They could have gotten their own state and parts of Jerusalem. That would have been a serious compromise on both sides, but it could have lead to real peace. Israel is the strongest country in the region, so we're not afraid of any military problems. It's just a shame for both sides to go on like that, when we could have turned into a new era in the region.

If you have any questions or comments - feel free!

[rs0522]

Thanks for your response.

Do you think the peace process is dead? It seems from here that Israel was giving up land for peace. Not much peace that I can see.

Is there anyone other than Arafat and Hamas involved on the Palestinian side?

Shalom,
rs0522

[Anat]

Things sure look bad right now.

Is it absolutely dead? Hard to say. I really hope not. After all, I still believe that it's in the best ineterst of both sides to coexist peacefully. I believe that if and when we reach some sort of peaceful stability, this place can become one of the richet, most successful places on the planet.

I heard someone saying that the Palestinians want to shed blood and win their statehood in a struggle. It's supposed to be good for their unity and national identity. I thought it was stuoid when I first heard that opinion, but now I'm beginning to think maybe he had a point there. I have no other explanation for their recent burst of violence and why they don't want to proceed with the peace process.

I guess we'll have to be patient. I'll tell you what would reall make things worse. If Barak is forced to go to another elections now, there's a good chance that Netanyahu will return and become prime minister. That could really turn things for the bad. Also, if Bush is elected (when will you guys make up your mind? :)) then I think he'll pull out. I don't think he'll want to get into the Middle East business, certainly not during his first years in office. With no pressure from the Americans, I think things can really get stuck for a while).

I think the PLO and Hamas are the major players on the Palestinian side. Right now the Hamas is more violent, but Arafat is just as stubborn.

[Grimey]

Not a whole lot has changed in 3 years.

[Alec]

I wonder what Anat thinks of things now.