Inspired by Tisha Be’av, when the Jewish people reflects on its past tragedies, I sat down this week to draw up a list of eminently doable things that I think must be done as soon as possible – before it’s too late.While it’s not the journalist’s job to pray or preach, the editor of a respected newspaper such as The Jerusalem Post should spell out his positions at the start of his tenure, and make his voice heard. So here is my “wish list”:
The time has come for Syrian President Bashar Assad to halt his violent crackdown on peaceful protesters and call democratic elections. So far, Assad’s Alawite regime has resisted demands by the international community and the Arab world to stop the killing of opposition activists, especially in the city of Hama. But there are signs that external pressure is having an effect, with Foreign Minister Walid Muallem announcing last week that Syria would hold free parliamentary elections by the end of this year. Still, the pressure must not let up until Assad, a ruthless dictator who loathes democracy and Israel, is removed from power.6. Iran’s nukes must be stopped The time has come for the world to make certain that Iran either halts its nuclear program or faces complete diplomatic isolation. A nuclear Iran under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s radical Islamist regime poses an existential danger to Israel and threatens the stability and sanity of the whole world. It was the US that helped Tehran launch its nuclear program in the 1950s, and it is the US that must now lead an international campaign to end it.7. The PA must negotiate The time has come for the Palestinian Authority to realize that the only way to make peace is to sit down and negotiate with Israel. Asking the UN General Assembly to recognize Palestinian statehood only harms the chances of the diplomatic process succeeding, while encouraging mass protests at Israeli checkpoints in September runs the risk of sparking a new cycle of violence.What is required now is for Israel and the Palestinians to resume direct peace talks with the aim of resolving core issues under dispute.