Strange Legacy

Ehud Barak and the Peace that Almost Was

I recently read an article on MSNBC.com about the strong opposition that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is facing from the Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Barak has issued an ultimatum to Olmert, telling the prime minister to step down from his post due to serious corruption allegations he is facing. When I first read this article, Barak’s name stirred a memory in the back of my mind; a quick search of Wikipedia confirmed my recollection of his role in the peace agreement that was almost forged between Israel and the Palestinians near the end of the last millennium. While his attempts ultimately proved futile, they still serve as a powerful example of true leadership and self-sacrifice.

Ehud Barak served as Israeli Prime Minister from 1999 to 2001. This period coincided with the final year of the Clinton presidency, a time when the former U.S. President was actively seeking to forge a legacy for himself through a lasting Israeli/Palestinian peace accord. Peace between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as the creation of a Palestinian state, had long been stymied by an unrelenting refusal by both sides to make critical compromises. Barak went farther then any Israeli leader before him to accommodate Palestinian demands – so much so that he quickly began losing the popular support of his own people. I remember thinking to myself how remarkable it was that he was willing to put his own career on the proverbial chopping block to reach this agreement, and how foolish Yasser Arafat seemed for refusing to compromise in like manner. I strongly suspected that Barak’s days as prime minister were numbered, and Arafat would soon be dealing with a much more hawkish and uncompromising Israeli leader.

Those who followed these developments remember well what happened next – Ariel Sharon, a former Israeli military leader who was reviled by the Palestinians for his role in the massacre of Muslims during the 1982 war with Lebanon, decided to tour the al-Aqsa Mosque located on the Dome of the Rock. Muslims consider this to be one of the holiest sites in Islam, and protests quickly broke out over its perceived desecration by Sharon’s presence. After clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters resulted in casualties, the situation spun out of control and widespread rioting ensued. The peace process disintegrated, as did Ehud Barak’s career. His tenure as Israel Prime Minister was cut short by a special election in 2001, where he lost to none other than Ariel Sharon himself. Sufficed to say, Sharon didn’t share Barak’s enthusiasm for compromise with the Palestinians. The ongoing conflict has claimed hundreds of Palestinian and Israeli lives, and has negatively impacted international relations between the West and Middle-East on a broad scale.

After losing the special election Barak left politics to pursue a career in business, only to return in 2007 after winning an election to the leadership of the Israeli Labor Party. From there, he secured his current position as Israeli Defense Minister. While few here in the U.S. will recall his involvement in those fateful events at the turn of the century, I think it is important to draw attention to his example of true leadership and self-sacrifice. It’s regrettable that his sacrifice didn’t yield the desired results, and that the pain and misery of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict continues to this day; nevertheless, if more leaders were willing place the greater good ahead of their own political fortunes I believe the world would be a much better place.

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