Comment: Peace movement lacks coordination

Two months ago, I made a tour of Israel and Palestine to meet with people in what is called the peace movement. My interest was sparked by a belief that "official negotiations" can only go so far, and that those who are interested in peace between the two sides must dig deeper and engage other levels of society.

The trip was very elucidating and I had the chance to meet with groups as varied as "Rabbis for Peace" and "One Voice", an initiative to garner signatures from Israelis and Palestinians in support of a peace deal.

"One Voice" is unique because it provides the supporter with options regarding the nature of a deal (Jerusalem, refugees, etc.), and it has also brought on Brad Pitt as "voice" – he will likely visit Occupied Jerusalem in support of this project early next year.

Other significant peace projects include the "Geneva Accord", the virtual peace deal designed by former Israeli and Palestinian ministers Yossi Beilin and Yasser Abed Rabbo; the Ayalon-Nusseibeh peace deal signature project that already has hundreds of thousands signed up; and sundry dialogue projects that are attempting to bring Palestinians and Israelis together to see beyond the hatred.

Discredited

What struck me above all about the peace movement was how sad the state of affairs is on the Israeli side. After the Camp David debacle of 2000, everything related to the Oslo accords and to peace movements has been very unfortunately discredited in the eyes of the Israeli public.

Right or wrong, many Israelis believe that former prime minister Ehud Barak offered Yasser Arafat a good deal and was rejected. Most Palestinians are of course in even greater despair, under occupation and curfews or direct violence.

The fact is however that there remain many devoted and committed individuals on both sides pursuing this road of public diplomacy, a road that is both dangerous and frustrating because it currently runs counter to official behaviour on both sides as well as public mood. Their commitment may pay off, but there is a missing link in the equation.

Parallel initiatives

There are beginning to be serious critiques of Prime Minister Aerial Sharon's policies inside Israel, most significantly by the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Army, but the question remains: Can these parallel initiatives gain enough support to circumvent the elected government in Israel and the ruling authority in Palestine? At the moment, as virtuous as each peace campaign may be, the sum total suffers from a lack of coordination and direction.

Battling extremism on both sides will require a more concerted and directed effort by the peace camp or it may fail. The bombs are still speaking louder than words.

If the dozens of groups and initiatives focus their efforts into public activities and institutionalised fora that are Israeli-Palestinian, strategic and highly "mediatic", then the sound of peace may begin to be louder than the bombs.

The writer is a former UN and Canadian diplomat, a commentator on Middle East and international affairs.