Traveling the Holy Land for peace, 68-year-old U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hoped to add momentum to peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. “I dream that I will have the chance to see in the Holy Land two states able to live together in mutual recognition, but also in peace and security,” Guterres told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Guterres isn’t naïve to the stumbling blocks to peace, especially Palestinian objections to Israel’s continued settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Netanyahu complained to Guterres that U.N. peacekeeping forces in Lebanon [UNIFIL] have turned a blind eye to Hezbollah’s continued military build-up, threatening a fragile peace since Israel and Hezbollah battled to loggerheads in 2006, both sustaining high casualties. Guterres has little influence over what Iran or its Hezbollah militia does in Lebanon.
Coordinating his trip with the White House where 71-yer-old President Donald Trump’s 36-year-old son-in-law Jared Kushner led a peace delegation with 59-year-old U.S. Israeli Amb. David M. Friedman., Guterres hopes to reason with West Bank and Gaza officials. White House officials understand the difficulty of working on a peace deal with the Ramallah-based Palestine Liberation Organization [PLO], while, at the same time, dealing with Gaza-based Hamas leader Yahya al-Sinwar. It’s difficult to negotiate any peace deal when Palestinians are split between Hamas and the PLO. Meeting with Gaza leaders, at least Guterres realizes that both Palestinian sides must get on the same page if there’s any chance of a two-state solution. Hamas and Hezbollah share joint contempt for Israel, despite West Bank leader 82-year-old Mahmoud Abbas proclaiming his desire for peace.
Guterres repeats the standard U.N. line that Israel should refrain from building in the so-called occupied territories, especially the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Guterres that Israel will stop building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem when Hamas stops getting missiles and military aid from Iran. While denying that Hamas seeks war with Israel, al-Sinwar admitted that Iran’s military support and cash to Hamas’ Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades has never been better. Hamas would like nothing more than to coordinate a missile attacks on Israel from Hamas in the south and Hezbollah in the north. Spending 23 years in Israeli prison for terrorism, al-Sinwar seeks nothing short of revenge, despite denying that he wants war with Israel. Secretary Gen. Guterres knows all these obstacles conspire against a two-state solution.
Meeting with U.S. special Israel envoy Jason Greenblatt, Guterres knows that Israel can’t enter into a peace deal when Palestinians seek the destruction of Israel. Al-Sinwar, who now heads Hamas in Gaza, shows no signs of compromising with Israel. Whatever Kushner and Friedman heard from the Ramallah-based PLO, they couldn’t get a sitting with the more belligerent Hamas, committed to liberating Palestine through armed force. Speaking to the press for the first time since taking over Gaza from Ismail Haniyeh Feb. 13, al-Sinwar, former head to Hamas’ al-Qassam Brigades, thanked Iran for supplying al-Qassam arms-and-cash. With Gaza supplying only a few hours of electricity a day, al-Sinwar has no problem spending Gaza’s resources building tunnels and stockpiling weapons. Appointing a former Israeli prisoner to head Gaza speaks volumes about future peace.
Meeting with Netayahu, Guterres was briefed about Iran plans to build missile factories in Lebanon and Syria. Israel’s in no position to let Iran destabilize any hope of Mideast peace with a dangerous build-up of offensive weapons. Netanyahu let Guterres know that the U.N.’s bias against Israel doesn’t pass unnoticed. Meeting with PLO officials in Ramallah, Guterres told them to resolve the rift between Hamas and the PLO. Al-Sinwar wants to resolve the split by power-sharing, eventually holding democratic elections. West Bank officials know that any Palestinian unity vote would likely result in Hamas winning parliamentary elections. West Bank officials have shown no interest in pursuing a Democratic model, knowing Hamas would prevail. Guterres would be helpful to the peace process by dealing with Iran’s interference, supplying Gaza arms-and-cash to defeat Israel.
Guterres sounds sincere when he talks about peace in the Holy Land. Where he’s unrealistic is letting Iran poison Mideast peace by supplying arms-and-cash to Hamas to eventually pursue al-Sinwar’s dream of destroying Israel. With Hamas in the south and Hezbollah in the north arming themselves to-the-teeth, the prospects for a two-state solution don’t look good. “The Lebanese government and residents of southern Lebanon should know that Israel will act with force if missiles are fired at its civilians,” said Moldovan-born Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman. Guterres promised Netanyahu and Lieberman he would do everything possible to fulfill UNIFIL’s madate in Lebanon to keep the peace. Guterres knows that no matter how much he wants a two-state solution, there’s no peace when Hezbollah and Hamas stockpile weapons and prepare for war with Israel.
