Building a reconciliatory climate in the Middle East

Worldview by Lynn Ockersz

The holding of a forum in Iran on the Jewish Holocaust with the reported intention of refuting the historical veracity of the Nazi-inspired pogrom against the Jews in the run-up to the Second World War, should be seen as a further fillip to extremism and ethnopopulism in the Middle East.

It should be also seen as proof of the widening cultural and ideological divide between the Jews and the Arabs-the principal antagonists in the Middle East conflict. The veracity of the Jewish Holocaust, which was hitherto considered a pointer to the abysmal depths to which humanity could be brutalized and perverted, has never been questioned by modern historians. The act of opening a debate on the factual occurrence of the Holocaust, besides re-opening psychic wounds which the world thought were in the process of healing, would only further fuel ill-feeling and hatred among hardline opinion on both sides of the ethnic divide in the Middle East.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's observation that Israel would suffer the same fate as the USSR could only be expected to further exacerbate these tensions and divisions. Such polar positions would in no way contribute towards advancing reconciliation among the warring parties in the Middle East imbroglio.

The principal parties to the conflict have suffered grievously over the decades as a result of the prolonged armed confrontation among them and the pain thus suffered by each of them has played a substantial role in the sharpening of their separate group identities. Hurtful observations and comments would have the effect of driving the ethnic groups in question only further apart.

In complete contrast, outgoing UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's observations on the Middle East merit careful consideration. "Tensions in the region are near the breaking point. Extremism and populism are leaving less political space for moderates, including those states that have reached peace agreements with Israel," Annan was quoted saying. He also observed that, "mistrust between Israelis and Palestinians has reached new heights .... We need a new and urgent push for peace".

The anti-Holocaust conference smacks of the extremism and populism Annan has pinpointed. We are certainly witnessing a new high in hardline sentiment.

However, a redeeming feature in this bleak scenario is the pronouncement by the US-based independent group of experts on the Iraqi situation who advocated the launching of a dialogue between the US and states such as Iran and Syria.

Such a dialogue process would certainly help to build bridges in the Middle East. While there is no doubt that Middle East peace needs a fresh push, the antagonists, by thus dialoguing, could help build a climate of reconciliation in the region. Commonalities and not divisions need to be emphasized right now. The two-State formula for peace in the Middle East which envisages a Palestinian state alongside Israel, needs a "fresh push" and renewed advocacy.

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