Agreements are key to peace

The last sixteen months of conflict between Palestinians and Israelis hurt me deeply. Useless fighting and bloodshed between these two peoples has to end. Palestinians and Israelis are destined to live with each other; neither side is simply going to disappear. The only solution to the bloodshed is peace.\nBoth sides need to make concessions to have peace. But where do we start? Peace is only going to come through a mutual agreement. It has to be a slow process of give and take. The notion that peace will come from Israel unilaterally withdrawing from the West Bank and Gaza Strip is deeply flawed. \nIn order to have peace, understanding and agreement need to be reached on a number of issues. The first and foremost is security. If Israel unilaterally withdrew from the territories, violence and chaos would ensue. The Palestinian Authority currently claims to be doing all it can to stop terrorists, yet terrorists are set free from the jails it controls. Without Israeli soldiers in the disputed territories, terrorists would be given free reign to commit their crimes.\nThis fact alone goes against United Nations Security Council Resolution 242, which emphasizes "the need to work for a just and lasting peace in which every State in the area can live in security." The recent attempt by Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat to smuggle 50 tons of weapons into the territories, violating agreements, highlights Israel's strategic necessity to remain in the territories.\nSecurity is not the only reason Israel cannot withdraw from the territories. Because both Palestinians' and Israelis' interests are so intertwined, it necessitates bilateral agreements.\nNature knows no borders, and both people live on top of the same underground aquifers and require the same water sources for survival. In order for Israel to withdraw from parts of the territories, agreements need to be reached about pollution and water.\nFor real peace to be established, economic arrangements need to be made. It is important to look toward the future and make agreements on joint Israeli-Palestinian economic projects that will be mutually beneficial. Many Palestinians have jobs in Israel, requiring certain arrangements about work permits to be made before Israel's withdrawal. \nAs stated earlier, both sides must make painful compromises to have peace. Compromise means both sides give a little. Israel's withdrawal from the territories without agreements is not a compromise. In order to withdraw from any part of the territories, Israel needs security, which can only be achieved from understanding and agreement.\n The first Israeli settlements in the territories were built in response to war and terrorism. Furthermore, every roadblock, house demolition and bypass road is a result of terrorism against Israelis, not the cause of it. Some Israelis are frustrated and feel that building settlements will help bring about peace and security.\nPeace begins with both sides compromising one step at a time. Eventually Israelis are going to have to give up their claims to parts of the West Bank and Gaza by dismantling many settlements. The Palestinians are going to have to give up the right of return to lands they left in 1948.\nAbove all, the security and safety of Israeli citizens is not a political compromise; it is a prerequisite for any withdrawal.