US President Donald Trump’s former Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt has co-published an article with Palestinian journalist Bishara Bahbah in the Israeli newspaper, Israel Hayom.
Under the title “Israelis and Palestinians Work Together Against Coronavirus,” the article stresses that the “pandemic reminds Palestinians and Israelis how intertwined their fate is.”
“The border between Israel and what some call the West Bank and others call Judea and Samaria is porous, with tens of thousands of people crossing daily from one side to the other.”
It pointed out that the dangers posed to Israelis are the same as those posed to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
“If they are not vigilant, and if they do not fight this virus diligently together, they will both suffer,” both writers noted.
According to the article, the response to the pandemic by both Israel and the Palestinian Authority is an indication that Israelis and Palestinians are capable of overcoming some of the seemingly insurmountable impasses that have characterized their relationship over the past decades.
Perhaps President Reuven Rivlin expressed it properly when he called PA President Mahmoud Abbas and declared that cooperation between both sides is vital to ensure the health of both Israelis and Palestinians.
In return, Abbas offered his full cooperation in the fight against this deadly disease.
“Whether this newfound cooperation leads to good-faith negotiations of a comprehensive peace agreement remains to be seen,” the article read, adding that no one can predict what will happen when life returns to whatever the new normal will be when the immediate danger of the pandemic passes.
“It is our hope that the lessons learned from this pandemic and the spirit of respect and cooperation will continue, so that movement toward a peace agreement can be built on similar goodwill, respect and cooperation.”
It is time for a new Israeli-Palestinian dynamic. It is time for a new future for Israelis and Palestinians and the region around them, the article concluded.
