With a backdrop of increasing conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, a rare piece of good news regarding the middle east escaped NYC yesterday. Simon Peres, President of Israel, praised a stagnant peace plan put forth by King Abdullah back in 2002. No, not the kind-hearted King Abdullah from Israel’s friendliest neighbor, Jordan, but the human-rights averse King Abdullah from Saudi Arabia.
During a two-day conference of world leaders intended to facilitate dialogue between religions and cultures (ironically sponsored by the Saudi King), Peres told attendees:
The [Saudi] initiative's portrayal of our region's future provides hope to the people and inspires confidence in the nations
At the meeting, Peres expressed to Abdullah a hope that the Saudi plan would represent "prevailing voice of the whole region." Although Israel's President has no formal power, as far as sybolic gestures go, this is an enormous one. For King Abdullah's part, he told the world leaders at the meeting that it was "time to learn from the lessons of the past." This is a seismic shift from the existing strategy of repeating mistakes that date back centuries. Straying from his prepared remarks, Peres told the Saudi king:
"Your Majesty, the king of Saudi Arabia," he said. "I was listening to your message. I wish that your voice will become the prevailing voice of the whole region, of all people. It's right. It's needed. It's promising.
Six years ago, King Abdullah presented his plan for Mideast peace that many observers then agreed was the likeliest roadmap to peace. The plan, which was approved by every member of the Arab league, included normalized relations between Israel and its neighbors, as well as a return to 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as Palestine's capital. Ariel Sharon, impersonating George Bush, rebuffed the proposal in 2002.