The Chicago Tribune is right to put the onus on Israel to seize the opportunity created by Saudi Arabia’s bold peace initiative (“Sharon’s opportunity,” Editorial, Feb. 27). What hope is there for progress if, while Arab leaders are talking about peace and mutual recognition, Israel’s Ariel Sharon continues to support and practice demolishing Palestinian homes and seizing Palestinian land?
While the Saudi plan is hopeful, it is simply a restatement of what has been on offer to Israel since Arab-Israeli peace negotiations began: a full peace in exchange for full withdrawal from all of the territories it illegally and belligerently occupies. Israel has always chosen to miss the opportunity this powerful formula provides. Let’s hope the Israeli people will prove more visionary than their narrow-minded leaders.
