The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani with Israeli Deputy Premier Shimon Peres at the Emiri Diwan yesterday. The meeting was attended by the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Ahmad bin Abdullah Al Mahmoud and the Emiri Diwan Chief H E Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Saud Al Thani.

‘Wall between West Bank, Israel temporary’

Doha • Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres yesterday said that his is a country which wants peace and stated that he will devote the rest of his life to bringing peace.

In fact, the Nobel Laureate and two-time former prime minister of Israel may well have come here with doves in hand. Peres last visited the region 10 years ago. His return marks the first time a high-ranking Israeli leader has made a visit to the GCC with no calls in between.

Peres yesterday engaged in a lively session of a ‘Doha Debates Special’ held at the Qatar Foundation with Tim Sebastian moderating. The programme will be aired on BBC World on February 3 and 4. He stated that Israel was bent on peace and best understood the Palestinian personality. “Israel dismantled the (Jewish) settlements in Gaza completely and the army left Gaza completely. For the fisrt time in history, Israel had used force to dismantle the settlements,” said Peres.

The Jewish state, he said, has always been provoked into fights and added Israel never initiated conflicts but has always reacted.

Peres is being tipped as a possible candidate for the Israeli presidency and has already received Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s backing. Incumbent Moshe Katsav’s fall from grace on rape charges may have given Peres some ideas. However, the leader said: “I am not sure, it is too early.”

Throughout the session, he consistently focused on peace and the future and with an eye on the youthful audience, he said they were the future. “We cannot blame one generation for the wrongdoing of the previous generation. My eyes are to the future. What has happened, happened. In spite of four wars, hatred and misunderstanding, we made peace with Egypt,” he said. Peres said Anwar Sadat’s willingness to negotiate and seek peace had ensured that the Sinai Peninsula was returned to it.

Golan heights

However, he denied that the Golan Heights was occupied territory stating that it was a legitimate prize of war. “Syria attacked us for no reason. It was a surprise attack. We won the Golan Heights in the war. (Syrian leader Hafez) Assad refused to negotiate.” The blame should lie squarely on the late Syrian leader, he felt.

Israel-lebanon crisis

Peres said Israel had always wanted a “united and integrated” Lebanon. On the recent assault on that country, he said: “The Lebanese penetrated the land of Israel. There were bombs and rockets set off by Hezbollah. We achieved our defence and we forced them to stop.” He hinted that Israel had used precision bombing in the war on Lebanon. “We were receiving 600 rockets daily. We bombed the Hezbollah headquarters in Beirut and no one was killed. No one will justify the killing of civilians.”

Although Israel asked Lebanon to ensure attacks on the Jewish state stopped, there was no response from Beirut. “For the first seven days, Israel did not do anything to stop it.” Israel had retaliated massively after two of its soldiers had been taken prisoner, allegedly by Hezbollah.

Peres also denied that Israel defied UN resolutions in staying put in Lebanon after a ceasefire had been declared. “We waited for three days, but only until Lebanese and UN soldiers arrived,” he said.

Apparently, Israeli politicians just cannot win. “I was Prime Minister after Yitzhak Rabin’s assassination. I made for free elections and elections in Jerusalem (for Palestinians). Then they started a wave of attacks. The crowds were shouting ‘Traitor, what did you do to us’.”

Harping on the issue of peace, Peres said: “Peace is the basic desire of Israelis.” Looking at the young audience, he told them: “I don’t look at you as an enemy. Don’t look at me as an enemy.”

The contentious issue of the wall between the West Bank and Israel was called “temporary”. Said Peres:“We were forced to do it. Since we built the wall, attacks came down by 80 per cent. Once there is peace, who needs walls?” He noted that there was no wall along the Jordanian border, nor were there minefields. “Why? They do not penetrate us,” he said. There is still hope of peace with the Palestinians provided they are willing to sit and negotiate and peace will be at hand in a relatively short time. “Negotiate with us. We cannot change our neighbours or friends,” he said.

Iran intervention

The Deputy Prime Minister said his country had no intention of intervening in Iran’s internal affairs. He spoke of a strong relationship with the country going back to the days of Cyrus, except now, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is proving to be the fly in the ointment. “We have no problem with Iran. The problem is Ahmadinejad. He is a problem for Israel. He is a problem for Iran,” said Peres. Israel will never interfere in Iran and never threaten any country. “Our basic policy is not to threaten but to agree,” said Peres.