THE OTHER day, the mayor of the huge West Bank Israeli settlement of Ariel dropped by. Eli Shaviro does not believe that Ariel is a hindrance to peace; he believes the opposite.
Settlements on the West Bank are bitterly denounced by the US Sec. of State as major impediments to peace with the Palestinians. What does Ariels mayor say to this?
It all depends on how you define peace, Shaviro says. If its a formal agreement, negotiated and drawn up and duly signed, such a peace will be, at best, neutral. If, however, you define peace as affirmative interaction between Israelis and Palestinians peace on the ground then a settlement like Ariel makes peace possible. Shaviro elaborates:
Companies in Ariel employ 3,000 Palestinians. Pointedly, he says that they are not just blue collar workers. They are also supervisors and managers. Their employment in Ariel means that the economies of Israelis and Palestinians are intertwined. If Ariel did not exist, these 3,000 Palestinians would be unemployed. Take away Ariel you take away 3,000 Palestinian livelihoods.
Also pointedly, he says that the policy of the Palestinian Authority, in contrast to the policy of Ariel, is to stunt the Palestinian economy. The PA closes its borders to Jews. Which includes Jewish consumers.
Shaviro cites the case of two Arab villages, Bidya and Mescha, which had the best sales between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River.
Everything from trinkets to furniture were locally made and sold at the best prices. Israelis from all over the country used to come to these village to take advantage of the prices.
The PA, however, closed this area to Jews.
This is what he means when he says that on the national political level, peace may not be all its stacked up to be. Peace, in Shaviros view, is to keep the travel lanes between the Jewish and the Arab areas open, and to let the common people and their common economic interests enact a real peace.
He makes the point another way. Palestinians demand an end to the occupation. Well, Israel occupied the Gaza Strip after the Six Day War of 1967 and there were no rocket attacks from Gaza. The rockets started flying only after Israel made peace with Gaza by ending its occupation and withdrawing from Gaza in 2005. The result of the end of the Gaza occupation? The withdrawal brought war, observes Shaviro.
There have been three wars between Israel and Gaza after Israel withdrew; none before.
WHAT ABOUT the land on which Ariel sits? Whose land is it?
Shaviros answer is both simple and complex. His simple answer is conveyed in an anecdote. He receives visitors who oppose settlements. He asks them to look out beyond Ariel. What do they see? They see a couple of Arab villages. Then Shaviro asks whether they see a certain large tree situated at such-and-such a distance from one of the Arab villages. They do.
Joshua the son of Nun is buried under that tree.
We were here long before the Palestinians.
That is Shaviros simple answer.
His complex one is this. Ariel, he says, must grow. But the growth he wants is not in land. He wants to grow upward he is seeking permits from the government to construct thousands of more housing units in high rises.
Who decides whether to approve or disapprove those permits?
The president of the United States, says Shaviro. Well have to wait to the 2016 elections to see whether our growth will be frozen at 20,000 people.
Shaviro has this to say about the new EU policy to label products made on the West Bank as Made on the West Bank rather than Made in Israel:
If an Israeli company suffers from the EU policy, all the company needs to do is to relocate to the other side of the Green Line (the pre-1967 Six Day War armistice line). The company will not suffer. The only ones who will suffer will be the Palestinian employees. Theyll be out their jobs.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE of peace that Shaviro provides: Ariels National Center for Leadership Development.
It has trained 3,000 youth Jews and Arab Israelis.
Robotics is taught at Ariel University training Jews and Arab Israelis together. This, too, is peace on the ground, he says.
Another example, also on the complex side: improved educational standards. This makes Ariel more attractive to industrial parks, which in turn makes Ariel more able to employ both Jews and Palestinians. Some 45 industries now find their home in Ariel, with another 15 making plans to come to Ariel.
An example of improved educational standards: robotics are introduced in Ariel at the kindergarten level. Part of the program is to have the kindergartners visit the university.
I WAS curious. What was the mayor of Ariel doing in Denver? He was on an economic development tour taking him to Denver, San Francisco, New Orleans, Florida and New York and to Montrose, Colorado. Montrose?
It turns out that Montrose hosts an Israel Night about as big as the one hosted in Denver (in Arvada, actually) by Faith Bible Chapel. Eli Shaviro wanted to see it to see Israels allies in the evangelical Christian community. The man, who struck me as highly focused, disciplined and serious in all he does, well, his face it up upon mention of Israels Christian allies in the US.
Copyright © 2015 by the Intermountain Jewish News
