Israeli Major General Speaks About Peace Prospects at LBJ School

Arriving in Austin during the winter ice storm did not keep Major General Shlomo Gazit from speaking at a December 12 brown bag lunch. Neither did the cold, wet weather dampen his optimistic vision for peace in the Middle East.

"Watching the media here, you would think the U.S. has nothing else to do but count votes in Florida," said Gazit. "But in the Middle East, you hear only about casualties and violence. It's all true, but it gives a false impression. There is a peace process and violence is a part of that, not contrary to it."

Gazit should know. He is a Senior Research Associate at the Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University. He is also a respected authority on Israeli security and defense. From 1967 to 1974 he administered the West Bank and Gaza, and he later served as Israel's special delegate to Palestinian Liberation Organization Chairman Yasir Arafat.

Gazit believes some sort of political settlement will be reached in a short time, but he does not believe the Middle East will see true peace in the near future -- maybe not for generations. He says the Middle East is not ripe for peace. It is, however, ripe for a political settlement -- hopefully without war

General Gazit gave three reasons for his optimistic view that a political settlement will occur soon:

• There is no chance the Arabs will overcome the Israeli military force in this century.
• Middle Eastern countries believe Israel has nuclear weaponry. That belief deters military action.
• The world has changed a great deal. The New World is no longer interested in regional conflicts. Quality of life, economics, and ecology matter most now. Hence, Arab countries cannot count on their neighbors to support them just because they are neighbors.

According to General Gazit, Arab countries are currently suffering from a demographic explosion that makes preparing for war much less urgent than dealing with social and economic difficulties. Egypt, whose population has tripled in the last fifty years, was the first country to decide that war can wait. Gazit believes other countries will follow Egypt's example. When they do, the political settlement will begin. It will, however, be a settlement of necessity rather than of principle or desire.

- Chris Witwer

December 19, 2000

News and Events • Fall 2000 News Briefs

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October 19, 2000

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