"Dialogue Is Possible"

Syria and Israel are still officially in a state of war. The "OneMideast" Internet portal hopes to finally bring Syrians and Israelis into contact with each other. The project is run by Arab and Israeli activists. Birgit Kaspar reports

​​ In light of the current tensions in the region, the name "OneMideast" almost comes across as a bad joke. The Middle East, after all, is anything but united. Instead of the realities on the ground, "OneMideast" refers more to the vision held by the initiators of this Internet project, one of a peaceful Middle East in which Israel and Syria achieve a peace deal, followed by peace between Israel and Lebanon.

Objectivity instead of reservations

Ten Arab and ten Israeli scholars, journalists, and bloggers joined forces around a year ago to create the "OneMideast" website, which came online in mid-May. The remarkable thing about the website is that it doesn't attempt to rehash the issues that Israeli and Syrian politicians could already agree upon merely to show that the path to peace is not so far off. Instead, it lists 20 reservations from the viewpoints of both Israeli and Syrian citizens that tend to negate the possibility of any peace agreement.

The site's authors then provide arguments to counter these positions, calm anxieties, and to refute spurious as well as legitimate concerns. In this way, the site's contributors hope to foster more objectivity in peace discussions.

A bridge to neighbouring countries

"People have to recognize that dialogue is possible and that the Internet offers new opportunities to discover first-hand more about those on the other side," says Yoav Stern, one of the founders of "OneMideast."

photo: AP
For over 40 years, Israel's annexation of the Golan Heights after the Six Day War in 1967 has been a hurdle to any reconciliation between Syria and Israel. Pictured: Israeli soldiers on the Golan Heights

​​ This bridge to provide direct communication between Israelis and Syrians is something new. Since Israel conquered the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967, both states officially remain in a state of war.

Although a ceasefire was agreed upon, which, for the most part, has been maintained, contact or even any communication with the Israeli enemy is a punishable offence in Syria. There is neither direct telephone nor postal service between the two states.

Exchange instead of negotiations

Direct and indirect diplomatic efforts towards peace negotiations have always broken down. The last attempt, brokered by Turkey, collapsed in December 2008 when Israel began its war in Gaza.

None of the "OneMideast" initiators regard themselves in any sense as amateur diplomats, stresses Elias Muhanna, a Lebanese Islamic scholar and blogger, who has contributed to the project. "It is not our goal to negotiate a peace agreement. Instead, we want to create an online environment where people can exchange their views on these complex issues in a productive manner."

Less anxiety, more trust

One classical Israeli argument is that it is impossible to negotiate with a state that supports terrorists such as Hamas and Hezbollah. The authors of "OneMideast.org" counter that nations seek different allies during times of peace than in times of war. In addition, it is not sensible to stamp all opposing parties with the terrorist label.

Map of the Near East (image: AP GraphicsBank)
The vision of "OneMideast" is a peaceful Middle East, in which first Israel and Syria and then Israel and Lebanon reach peace agreements

​​ Many Syrians, on the other hand, complain that peace negotiations with Israel lead nowhere, since Israel is solely concerned with its own security. The website offers a counter argument. "There can be no peace as long as both sides continue to entrench themselves in the role of a victim." It is necessary to provide mutual assurances in order to dispel any such anxieties.

Divided response

There has been much praise for the Internet initiative, but also a great deal of stinging criticism. A journalist, who goes under the alias Riam, commented that such refreshing arguments are what is needed to escape from the current dead-end. By contrast, the Syrian blogger "Maysaloon" refers to the initiative as a scandal and "morally bankrupt," because it encourages dialogue while ignoring the suffering of people in Gaza.

The Syrian historian Sami Moubayed holds the view that these efforts will merely lead to nothing. "This is simply not the way to solve problems of this magnitude. Perhaps a few creative thoughts might emerge, but, in the final analysis, official negotiations are necessary."

Breaking the silence

The bottom line is that "OneMideast.org" remains the most successful attempt to break the silence between Syria and Israel at the grassroots level – at least as long as the Syrian government doesn't block the website, a response which some observers don't exclude.

Yet, the fact that people from hostile states such as Syria and Israel have seized upon this initiative is already a small communication revolution in itself, especially in a region so plagued by mutual recriminations.

Birgit Kaspar

© Deutsche Welle/Qantara.de 2010

Translated from the German by John Bergeron

Editor: Lewis Gropp/Qantara.de

Qantara.de

Israeli Magazine on Palestinian Trauma
The Nakba in Hebrew
The first magazine published by Jewish Israelis to focus solely on the Palestinian Nakba has recently come out in Israel. Granted an enthusiastic reaction from left-wing liberals, it has so far been ignored by the right wing. Joseph Croitoru reports

Commentary by Avi Primor
The Key to Peace Lies in Damascus
It's now official: Israel and Syria are holding indirect peace talks. A peace agreement between the two countries could break Iran's dangerous influence in the region, says Avi Primor, former Israeli Ambassador to Germany

Dossier
Israeli -Palestinian Dialogue
Beyond the violence in the Middle East conflict, there are many individuals and initiatives working towards lasting peace in the region. Our new dossier presents just some of them

www
Website 'OneMideast'