Why Trust?

I just finished writing about the importance of trust in any Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. The typical line, however, is that "both parties know what needs to get done, why not just get it done?" We know that the Palestinians will have Gaza and the West Bank, so why not just give it to them? Well, on one level, that is starting to be the attitude of some Israelis. They just want to leave those territories and let the Palestinians have them. That is well and good from a national security standpoint and dismantling settlements only furthers the ball for future peace negotations. However, without a formal handover, the territories are doomed to fail. That is because, as much as Arabs would like to believe otherwise, Israel is necessary for the viable existence of any Palestinian state. Israel's cooperation is needed in everything from the organization of water distribution to Palestine's security to the job prospects of Palestinians, etc. Without some level of even mild cooperation, as Hamas is today finding, Palestine becomes an unviable state. Thus, it is in the Palestinians' interest as much or more than the Israelis to build some trust and broker a peace deal.

The problem is that the issue has been framed as: "You took X from us, return it and we'll have peace." That may be historically accurate, but that isn't the point. Returning the land won't necessarily create peace. Only a peace agreement can do that. Returning land can quell some of the roots of terrorism, but that is a national security not a peace concern. The actual issue is: "Two nations are intertwined. One rich, one poor. How can we construct an agreement that maintains the identity of both while also allowing both to be stable and secure?"

The answer is soem level of cooperation. Groups like Hamas may believe that breeding distrust will one day lead to a Greater Palestine. That isn't the case. It will probably lead to the semi-autonomous region of Palestine, i.e., more of the same. In this situation, Israel has all the cards. All the Palestinians have is the good public relations that comes with underdog/victim status. That helps fill the coffers, but that doesn't create a state. The only people that can broker a state for the Palestinians: Israelis. That's why trust is so essential.