Haaretz

[27.03.2009]

Eight months after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's resignation, a new government, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, is about to be established. During the transition period and while the election campaign was underway, Israel embarked on an unnecessary and damaging military action in the Gaza Strip, and the diplomatic process with the Palestinians and Syrians was halted.
But the strategic reality Israel is facing has only become more complicated. The cease-fire with Hamas in Gaza is unstable, kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit has not been freed, Hezbollah is threatening revenge, the future of the Palestinian Authority is clouded, Iran is continuing to enrich uranium, criticism abroad is on the rise over the killing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and the new administration in the United States is maintaining a tactful distance.
The new government will have to respond to all these challenges. As opposed to the Olmert government, which suffered from a lack of military and diplomatic experience at the top, the leadership of the country now includes two former prime ministers, Netanyahu and Ehud Barak.
No one understands the geo-political reality better than they do. They need no training period to "learn the material." Barak is a sitting defense minister, and Netanyahu had access to classified material as head of the opposition.
The most urgent task before Netanyahu and Barak, with new foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman, will be to breach international isolation, to establish good working relations with the Obama administration, to calm down the situation on the borders and to create the conditions for diplomatic agreements with the Palestinians and with Syria.
Barack Obama made clear at a press conference this week that the status quo is unsustainable and that the advancement of a two-state solution, with Israelis and Palestinians living peacefully side by side, is "critical." The new government will have to meet the challenge Obama is setting for it.
In response, Netanyahu pledged that he would be a partner for peace to the Palestinians and reiterated his "economic peace" slogan from the election campaign. But the campaign is over. This is reality.
Reality requires the new government avoid the provocation of expanding settlements and rein in the initiatives of Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat, who aims to promote new construction for Jews and destroy the homes of Palestinians in East Jerusalem.
Reality requires lifting as many limitations as possible on the movement of Palestinians in the West Bank so as to allow them economic development, and to open the crossings to the Gaza Strip. The outgoing government's decision not to continue limiting shipments of food into Gaza, passed under American pressure, is a correct step. It should be maintained.
Reality requires that Netanyahu and Barak embark on an Israeli diplomatic drive based on the Arab peace initiative and serving as a basis for the renewal of negotiations with the Palestinians and with Syria and Lebanon, and for promoting normalization with the Arab world.
Reality requires conducting diplomatic talks from a position of flexibility and willingness to compromise for an agreement, not just to pass the time. Reality also requires not being dragged into military adventures that engender enthusiasm at the beginning and disappointment at the end.
If the Netanyahu government conducts itself in this manner, it will enjoy international support in dealing with its most complex challenge - the Iranian nuclear program.

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