Israeli adversaries on peace attempt to establish dialogue

JERUSALEM, Nov. 18 (JTA) — Their political ideologies are diametrically opposed, but recent acts of extremism prompted the two sides to attempt to find a common ground for dialogue. Tuesday’s unlikely gathering brought together members of the Israeli peace group Dor Shalom, or Generation for Peace, with members of the conservative national religious camp. The meeting was called after Dor Shalom’s Jerusalem offices were torched last month, and after right-wing Knesset members recently received death threats. After their session at the peace group’s offices, officials from both sides stressed the importance of halting extremism and incitement. Yuval Rabin, the son of assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and a founder of Dor Shalom, joined with a member of the Knesset from the National Religious Party, Hanan Porat, in calling for more dialogue to bridge the political divide. Rabin said the real test of whether discussions between the ideologically opposed groups are effective would come when negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians focus on the future of Jewish settlements. Referring to fears that the peace process could provoke strife within Israeli society, Rabin told reporters, “I think our obligation is to hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.” When his father was struck down by a nationalist’s bullet two years ago, Israel had recently committed to turning over portions of the West Bank to Palestinian control. Rabin condemned the person who sent an anonymous death threat to Porat this week — with a bullet enclosed in the letter. A similar letter was sent last week to Knesset member Benny Alon of the far-right Moledet Party. “I want to make perfectly clear that this is exactly the opposite of what my father stood for,” Rabin said. “Anyone thinks he is acting on behalf of Yitzhak Rabin’s memory is grossly wrong.” Rabbi Menachem Froman, of the settlement of Tekoa, said the initiative for dialogue was endorsed by the leaders of settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and that more meetings would take place. “We are going to make a similar meeting very soon. I think that the whole Israeli society has something to learn from the murder that took place two years ago.”