INTERVIEW WITH ISRAELI AUTHOR MEIR SHALEV
'Even the Left Was in Favor of Striking Hamas'
An operation against Hamas was necessary -- but a war aimed at eliminating the Palestinian radical group is irresponsible, says Israeli author Meir Shalev in an interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE. Israel, he says, needs to find a political solution through negotiations.
The interview
Meir Shalev, 60, is a commentator for the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Aharonoth. As a young man, he took part in the 1967 Six- Day War. Partly as a result of his experiences in that war, Shalev has long been a backer of the two- state solution to resolve Israel's conflict with its Palestinian neighbors. Shalev is also a novelist and many of his books have been translated into English. His most recent publication in English was "A Pigeon and a Boy," which appeared in 2007.
'Even the Left Was in Favor of Striking Hamas'
An operation against Hamas was necessary -- but a war aimed at eliminating the Palestinian radical group is irresponsible, says Israeli author Meir Shalev in an interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE. Israel, he says, needs to find a political solution through negotiations.
SPIEGEL ONLINE: How do you think the operation should be brought to an end?
Shalev: In the end a political solution has to be found, that much is clear. Israel has to speak with Hamas, Hamas has to speak with us, and then the two sides will have to agree on a realistic way forward. I certainly don't consider Hamas to be friendly people, but Israel's attitude is absurd. We behave as though it were our hobby to find new groups with whom we refuse to speak -- only to do so later. Twenty years ago, the PLO was the archenemy; today, with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as its leader, the group is our best friend. In five years' time, we will also be speaking with Hamas -- but only if we have by then found ourselves a new enemy that we can refuse to talk to. Perhaps (militant Palestinian group) Islamic Jihad?
Shalev: In the end a political solution has to be found, that much is clear. Israel has to speak with Hamas, Hamas has to speak with us, and then the two sides will have to agree on a realistic way forward. I certainly don't consider Hamas to be friendly people, but Israel's attitude is absurd. We behave as though it were our hobby to find new groups with whom we refuse to speak -- only to do so later. Twenty years ago, the PLO was the archenemy; today, with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as its leader, the group is our best friend. In five years' time, we will also be speaking with Hamas -- but only if we have by then found ourselves a new enemy that we can refuse to talk to. Perhaps (militant Palestinian group) Islamic Jihad?
Meir Shalev, 60, is a commentator for the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Aharonoth. As a young man, he took part in the 1967 Six- Day War. Partly as a result of his experiences in that war, Shalev has long been a backer of the two- state solution to resolve Israel's conflict with its Palestinian neighbors. Shalev is also a novelist and many of his books have been translated into English. His most recent publication in English was "A Pigeon and a Boy," which appeared in 2007.
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