Diamonds are forever?
President Bush is in Israel and yesterday addressed the Knesset, where the debates are really lively and where personal insults really do fly. If nothing else, Israel is a remarkable democracy in a region where democracy does not shine through.
Earlier this week I went to a 60th anniversary celebration in London, at which David Miliband spoke. There were not many MPs present, which surprised me, and they in turn were almost all Conservatives. Guests were treated to some delicious Jewish food.
In the tiny state, the contrasts are extraordinary. Tel Aviv is a sensual secular city, which has the earthy buzz of Rio de Janeiro. Jerusalem has many inhabitants who follow a much more Orthodox religious tradition.
The performance of Israel’s economy has been brilliant, with cutting edge research and business producing world beating products. Yet there is a prevailing sense of tension because of the failure to find the security that would arise from a political settlement.
The Jewish tradition has produced some of the finest minds throughout history, and involvement in political life has often been prescient and with noble intent. It was all too often the Jewish community in South Africa which bravely highlighted the iniquities of apartheid.
Yet the frontier mentality in Israel has inhibited a serious look at its long term strategic interests. If indeed Iran is financing and arming Israel’s enemies, then detaching Iran from Israel’s immediate neighbours has to be a fundamental objective.
There are those in Israel who want to think out of the box of the conventional political wisdom there. But the unqualified and uncritical support and advice of the United States has been something of a mixed blessing in this regard.
There is pessimism amongst Palestinians that a two state solution will ever be found. Many in Israel have abandoned any belief in a political resolution at all.
As we acknowledge the success of a remarkable little country, we can only hope that Israeli politicians look ahead a decade or two and conclude that some fresh geopolitical thinking is required. If not it will not only be Israel which will pay the price of failure, but many people in the region and well beyond.