The title of today’s column is borrowed from Ms. Ksenia Svetlova, a member of the Zionist Union, the largest opposition party in Israel. Ms. Svetlova and Koby Huberman, the Co-Founder of the Israeli Peace Initiative, feel there is no better time to make progress toward negotiations between Israel, Palestine and the Arab world on a regional agreement for a two-state solution than now and they have emailed me for support.
They are holding a major conference in Israel tomorrow where they plan to present the concept in detail and call upon the Israeli leadership to accept the Arab Peace Initiative. They want to show their friends in the Arab world that there are Israelis who want peace and need their message to be carried out in Israel, the international media and the Arab world.
Ms. Ksenia Svetlova writes that since the announcement of the Arab Peace Initiative, 13 years of killings, bloodshed, terror and hatred have passed and the Israelis and the Palestinians are still at square one. “Some have said that the time was not right for peace. But I believe that every time is right for peace and windows of opportunity are created by people.
Regretfully, after saying ‘no’ for too long, we have reached the stage when it is almost too late for peace due to fast geopolitical and demographic developments in our region. While the two-state solution remains on the table, its days are fleeting. Yet, eliminating it from discussion would be catastrophic for Israelis, Palestinians and the entire region.
“Perhaps that is why today, the majority of Israeli politicians not only recognize the merits of the Arab Peace Initiative behind closed doors, but have begun to speak about it openly. Those who still remain skeptical ask whether the initiative is still alive, after all, the region is not the same today as it was 14 years ago. But, time after time the answer from various Arab leaders is that the initiative is still on the table. The Arab Peace Initiative is not a miracle solution, but it does offer a positive climate that is so much needed for the success of any negotiation and a clear frame.
“Some ask whether, after the fall of some Arab regimes and the emergence of Daesh (the self-proclaimed IS), it is a good time to implement this initiative? This is precisely when change is possible. It is during turbulent times when boundaries and perceptions fall down that new dynamics can emerge. We should not forget that the Arab Peace Initiative came to life during a no less turbulent time after 9/11 and one year prior to the beginning of the second war in the Gulf, when it was clear that the Middle East would never be the same again.
“Finally, the question remains as to who should be promoting the Arab Peace Initiative and regional reconciliation. Until very recently, both Israelis and Palestinians believed that some kind of foreign broker was essential to the process because it is hard for parties directly involved in conflict to engage in dialogue. However, the absence of both parties from the Paris conference last week may be proof that no broker outside this region can solve our issues. No one knows the situation as intimately as the people who live here.
“Today, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not particularly high on the international agenda as global powers focus on the nuclear race in North Korea, elections in the US, the Zika virus, refugees in Europe and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. We need to acknowledge that it is up to us – the people who live here in the Middle East. We are the ones really affected by this conflict; we live it, breathe it and leave it as an inheritance to our children.
“So, I assert that today is the perfect time to reach out, to talk to each other and not to leave this critical business to those who live thousands of miles away but still believe they know best. In fact, many of the region’s ongoing conflicts are the product of the superpowers’ actions over the last century. Even the name ‘Middle East’ originated in 1850 in British India. Now it is time to think and act local.
“There is no reason that the people of the Middle East – Arabs and Jews – the silent majority that despises the bloodshed and prays for its end should not take our destiny into our own hands. Now is the time for Israelis, Palestinians, Egyptians, Saudis, Jordanians, Tunisians, Moroccans and others to talk and to stand up for our future. The land of the Middle East might be dry, but the Eastern wind has brought along not only heat, but also the Arab Peace Initiative to bring the sworn enemy-neighbors closer.
“The next peace conference should happen here in the Middle East. Its participants should talk Arabic and Hebrew and show respect for each other’s traditions, history, culture and narrative in order to break the impasse. The heaviest weight will definitely fall on Israelis and Palestinians – since any viable solution must be reached between us, especially the details of security arrangements and territorial agreements.
However the support of all regional powers is not only desirable, it is essential. Today, when Arab armies fight bravely against the evil of Daesh and other terrorist organizations in the region, it is also the time to make an authentic diplomatic effort.
However the support of all regional powers is not only desirable, it is essential. Today, when Arab armies fight bravely against the evil of Daesh and other terrorist organizations in the region, it is also the time to make an authentic diplomatic effort.
“I recently met an extremely committed group of parliamentarians from a few Arab countries and I know for a fact that the political will is there. I also know that not only the peace camp in Israel, but the majority of Israelis are committed to working out a solution that will provide the needed security to Israel and the long awaited independence for Palestinians. The old proverb says that ‘God helps those who help themselves’ and it is indeed so. Instead of waiting for a solution for another 50 years, we must start talking directly to each other – with respect and understanding of each other’s needs.
“Traditionally, the month of Ramadan is the time for showing unity and promoting the end of hostilities and violence. It is a time of self-reflection and peace of mind and soul. I use this opportunity to congratulate all Muslims on the holy month of Ramadan and to wish them an easy fast. I also use this opportunity to call for a Middle East peace conference that will jumpstart the diplomacy in the region and silence the cannons. Ramadan Kareem, Ksenia Svetlova from the Israeli Knesset.”
Ksenia Svetlova
| Ksenia Svetlova | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Date of birth | 28 July 1977 |
| Place of birth | Moscow, Soviet Union |
| Year of aliyah | 1991 |
| Knessets | 20 |
| Faction represented in Knesset | |
| 2015– | Zionist Union |
Ksenia Svetlova (Hebrew: קסניה סבטלובה; Russian: Ксения Светлова, born Moscow 28 July 1977) is an Israeli politician, journalist and associate professor at Hebrew University. She serves as a member of Knesset for the Zionist Union.
Personal life
Born in Moscow to a family of intelligentsia. Her father Professor Igor Svetlov, an art historian and member of the Russian Academy of Arts, and her mother Svetlana Sorokina, a patent lawyer. Her paternal grandfather Konstantin Dmitrievich Valerius was the chief of metallurgy production of the USSR and recipient of the Order of Lenin, before he was executed by Stalin in 1938 and posthumously rehabilitated by Khrushchev in 1958.
Her step grandfather was Yevgeny Vuchetich, the famous sculptor behind The Motherland Calls, who married her paternal grandmother, the art historian Sarah (née Samuel) Valerius. Her maternal grandmother, Dr. Victoria Moiseevna, was the head of the department of neurology, of First City hospital Moscow.
Between 1984 and 1991, Svetlova attended School 77 in Moscow. In 1991 she immigrated to Israel with her mother. Her mother said that the only country they could immigrate to was Israel, stating: "if we must leave our beloved city, our native Moscow, then we can only leave it for home."
In Israel, she studied at the Bat Zion religious boarding school in Jerusalem. She later studied Islamic and Middle Eastern history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, gaining bachelor's and master's degrees. As of 2015, she is a doctoral candidate in Middle Eastern studies and an associate professor at Hebrew University. She is also a policy fellow at Mitvim, the Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign Policies.
She speaks Russian, Hebrew, English, and Arabic. She lives in Modi'in and has two daughters.
Journalism career
In 2002 she joined the Russian language "Israel Plus" channel as a commentator on Arab affairs. She has written for newspapers and media outlets, including the Jerusalem Post, the Jerusalem Report, Haaretz and the BBC Russian Service. In her capacity as a journalist, she has interviewedYasser Arafat, Ahmed Yassin, and Mahmoud Abbas.
Political career
Before the 2015 Knesset elections, she joined the Zionist Union (an alliance of the Labor Party and Hatnuah) and was placed 21st on the list, a slot reserved for a candidate chosen by Hatnuah leader Tzipi Livni. She was elected to the Knesset as the alliance won 24 seats. After her election, she was required to give up her Russian citizenship, which had been an asset to her past travel to the Arab world.
In an i24news interview, she stated her priority as an incoming MK would be advancing the peace process. She also pledged to work against racism and discrimination. Once a Knesset member, she joined the Foreign affairs and Defense and Aliyah and Absorption committees, as well as heading three parliamentary caucuses: for the protection of Jews from Arab and Islamic countries heritage and culture, a caucus for freedom of speech and expression, and a caucus that supports strengthening the ties between Israel and the Kurdish nation.
She is an advocate for progressive denominations of Judaism, having been refused a divorce for two years by the Chief Rabbinate.
Knesset positions
In the 20th Knesset, she serves in the following positions:
- Chair, Lobby for Strengthening Relations between the State of Israel and the Kurdish people
- Chair, Lobby for the Preservation of the Culture of Jews from Islamic Countries
- Chair, Lobby for Freedom of the Press and Freedom of Expression
- Chair, Lobby for Consumer Protection
- Member, Lobby for Strengthening the Jewish World
- Member, Lobby for Strengthening Healthy Body Image among children, teenagers and young adults
- Member, Lobby for Fair Pension
- Member, Lobby of Religion and State
- Member, Lobby for the Status of Workers in Israel
- Member, Lobby for the Struggle Against the Delegitimization of the State of Israel
- Member, Lobby for Distributive Justice
- Member, Lobby for the Protection of Preschoolers in Israel
- Member, Lobby for the Unity of the Nation
- Member, Lobby for the Struggle Against Racism
- Member, Lobby for Fair Collection Processes at Hotzaa Lapoal (Israel`s collection agency)
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