BY

The controversy regarding the recognition of Israel is gradually gaining momentum in this country. The issue is picking up steam because of the statements of personalities who have status and authority. From the objections of the Qazi of Jamaat-e-Islami to the strong resistance of Fazlur Rehman, the JUI supremo, and at present, the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The latest salvo comes from the Grand Old Man of Social Welfare, Maulana Abdul Sattar Edhi, who vehemently promotes the idea of recognizing Israel.

There was some brouhaha when Syeda Abida Hussein, who at that time was Pakistan’s Ambassador to Washington, in an interview to an Indian journal had floated the idea that the country had to re-think the policy regarding Israel. Recently, George Clement, the Parliamentary Secretary in charge of Foreign Affairs, revealed on the floor of the National Assembly that the Government had inched her way towards recognizing the Jewish state.

Maulana Edhi is a forthright man and minces no words when making a point. According to the newspapers, Edhi, who claims himself free from the prejudices of politics, religion, regionalism, and sectarianism, stated that "we should not find any hurdle in recognizing Israel as we have no solid reason for not doing so". He further said that the nation with which Israel was engaged in a war had come to terms with it and both had decided to accept and accommodate each other. He asked in plain terms why Pakistan was hesitating to recognize the Jewish state. He said that if the reason was religion, then Pakistanys are paying lip service to Islam anyway. He further stressed that he is believes in speaking the truth even though many may consider his statement as one from an Israeli agent.

The Maulana has a point. The Palestinians led by the indomitable Yasser Arafat, have reached an agreement with the Israelis regarding the expansion of authority in the West Bank. One should go thru the chronology of the events since the war that started on June 05, 1967 when within one week, Israel seized control of West Bank and Gaza, and the Sinai and Golan Heights. On September 17, 1978, President Jimmy Carter brokered a historical agreement known as the Camp David Accords. The two pragmatic leaders (and Nobel Peace Prize winners) of Egypt and Israel, Sadat and Begin, agreed in principle to the establishment of peace between their two countries and laid the foundation for the Palestinian autonomy in West Bank and Gaza.

In December 1987, the six year old armed uprising, Intifadah commenced. However, on November 15, 1988, Arafat proclaimed the establishment of the state of Palestine and implied the recognition of the adversary. In a glittering ceremony at the White House on September 13, 1993, a beaming President Bill Clinton, alongwith former President George Bush and millions of viewers worldwide watched Arafat and Rabin sign the Declaration of Principles outlining a plan for the self-rule of the Palestinians in the Occupied territories. On October 26, 1994, Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty at their border, a ceremony witnessed by President Clinton. And, on September 28, 1995, the official signing agreement of the plan to expand autonomy in the West Bank was signed at the White House in Washington.

The next country to come to terms with Israel seems to be Syria. President Hafez-el Assad is a tough cookie. He has been taking a hard stand in his parleys with the Clinton administration which is trying to confine its overtures to Assad primarily on the issue of the Golan Heights. There is strong speculation that eventually Assad will agree to signing a peace treaty with Israel without immediately normalizing diplomatic relations. He may base the normalcy on a gradual scale depending upon Israel’s withdrawal from the territories presently under her occupation.

The general belief in Pakistan is that as an Islamic nation, the country should fully support the cause of those who are anti- Israel and that until Al-Quds Sharif is "freed" from the clutches of the Israeli occupiers there can never be peace between the two countries. There are many who believe that the PLO head honcho has sold out the struggle of the Palestinian people. There are many who stress that the leading Arab countries like Saudi Arabia, and even Iran, have not recognized the Jewish state. There are many who only look from the religious viewpoint and do not accept the realities and practicalities of the present world scenario.

Pakistan should now concentrate on the needs and requirements of her own citizens. The world is moving fast and the buzzword is economic prosperity. Trade is more paramount than backing lost causes. The central characters in the Middle East opera have come to terms or are in the process of charting out a program of peace and cooperation. The well-being of the people of that region is supreme. Decades of war and attrition have brought nothing but disaster and devastation. Pragmatism has yielded to idealism and outdated philosophy. The Arafats, Rabins, Husseins, and Mubaraks have visions of the coming century where their countrymen will need to survive in a tough environment and where scarce resources will not have to be wasted on fruitless and burdensome adventures of hostilities and bloodshed.

Pakistan should also be realistic. There is much that this country can learn from Israel. There is much that this country can do to play a decisive role in bringing peace in the region thru its mediating efforts between those Middle Eastern countries who have not yet taken the avenue of recognition. There is much this country can achieve because the Israeli-Indian nexus (if there is one) will then become non-essential. Pakistan can learn from the latest irrigation projects that are being operated there in Israel. The kibbutz system, which is a collective farm or settlement in Israel, can be studied and applied in this country too. Joint ventures and trade pacts can be the next on the agenda. Furthermore, this will also then, hopefully, lead to the eventual recognition of Taiwan, with which we have trade in millions of dollars, but which we do not recognize on the diplomatic front. How hypocritical we are !

There was a time when the Arabs were so obsessed with the anti-Israel sentiments that anything to do with Israel was anathema to them. I remember in 1970 while I was a student at an university in Indiana, USA, I was part of the team which had to perform the Hora, a traditional Israeli dance which is danced on the music of Hava Nagila, an old Israeli song. Since we had to take all kinds of dancing in a course on Folk Dancing, one of the "garbage courses" students have to take in their curriculum to achieve a Bachelor’s degree, I was quite adept at this particular dance. I had as partners a Greek, an Ethiopian, and a person from another country. Believe me, after the performance and for many months, some of my Arab buddies were mad at me and I was persona non grata until better sense prevailed in their minds.

The issue of the recognition of Israel should be debated soon in the Parliament, and the Prime Minister authorized to initiate steps for the convening of a meeting with her Israeli counterpart in any of the two countries, or the good offices of Yasser Arafat may be utilized so that the coolness is thawed and that Pakistan can further claim that she is a nation composed of 130 million peace loving people. In the meantime, the industrial and business community should get ready to do trade and business with Israeli businessmen and industrialists. At the same time, the FPCCI should have a list of potential businessmen who should be ready to fly to Tel Aviv or Jerusalem to do potential business and to pray at Al- Quds Sharif. The business community should always be in the lead in persuading the government to take realistic positions. Ex granis fit acervus. "Many grains make a heap; every little helps."