New Israeli government brings hope for peace with Syria

Yoram Peri, head of the Chaim Herzog Institute for Media, Politics and Society at Tel Aviv University gave a lecture today at the Library of Congress titled, “A New Administration Israel and the U.S.: A New Hope for Peace?” He focused on the results of the recent Israeli election and what the likely repercussions will be concerning the peace process.

One outcome of this election is an apparent shift to the right in Israeli voting, with the right-wing and center parties gaining the most seats, and the left-wing party lagging behind. Peri believes that this is based on a philosophy started by Ariel Sharon, that the Israeli government’s first priority should be security and tranquility within Israel, and peace talks should come as a secondary outcome. Therefore people vote for the parties that they believe will keep Israel’s safety first. This shift, therefore, does not mean that Israelis do not want to pursue peace, as public opinion polls show more people than ever supporting a two-state solution with the Palestinians.

Peri was not optimistic that the new Israeli administration will be able to bring about peace with the Palestinians because of Hamas’ control in Gaza, and the lack of national unity within the Palestinian territories. However, Peri believes that peace talks with Syria are highly likely within the next two years, and that this could change the dynamic of power in the entire Middle East. He views Syrians as a good candidate for peace negotiations because the border disputes are not tied to religion, and because the Syrian government presents a united front and can stand by their word. Peri believes that Syria wants to pursue peace with Israel so that they can improve their relation with the United States. He sees this as changing the relations of Syria and Iran, meaning that Syria will also no longer support Hamas. Peri called this possibility “the silver lining” in the prospects for peace in the upcoming years.