Weekly Commentary: Many Unanswered Questions About Freeze

Dr. Aaron Lerner
IMRA
10 September 09

It would be a terrible mistake to dismiss the debate over the settlement freeze as simply ideological.

The issues and concerns associated with the freeze should raise questions in the minds of those who entertain the possibility of "territorial compromise" just a much as for those who rule out any deal.

At this stage there is a lot we don't know. And it's far from clear just how much we may end up knowing should the freeze be implemented.

Is the freeze open ended? First there was talk about limiting the freeze to a specified period of time, but now we are hearing that the freeze would continue indefinitely if the Arabs keep their side of the "gestures for freeze" deal.

If that is indeed the case then what kind of "gestures" are we talking about? After all, a collection of gestures that might justify a 6 month freeze (that Israel may feel is necessary because of various other considerations) would hardly justify a permanent one.

What's the freeze exit strategy? What's to prevent our finding ourselves in a worse situation in the world after ending a freeze than if we never started one in the first place?

Will there be transparency regarding the Israel-US freeze understanding, or will we be told to rely on our Government to let us know the score.

Will Israel determine if there is Arab compliance or are we to rely on the honesty of third parties (hint: American officials lied for years about Palestinian compliance during Oslo because they believed it served their interests).

Yes there are a lot of questions.

And if there is one thing we have learned here in Israel - it's that the answer that "I rely on the Government" simply won't suffice.
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