"Krone" commentary

Middle East dialog in Vienna – despite the war

Analyzes for the "Krone": foreign policy expert Kurt Seinitz(Bild: Krone KREATIV/stock.adobe.com)

Despite everything, there are still politicians on both sides who are committed to a peaceful political solution to the eternal conflict. Former Chancellor Schüssel brought them to Vienna for a dialog: Israel's former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the former Palestinian Foreign Minister Nasser al-Kidwa.

Both have come a long way on separate sides. They are both aware of the lost opportunities and are looking for ways out. How do they assess the situation?

Ehud Olmert calls Hamas an enemy of both peoples. Al-Kidwa does not want to disagree and pleads for new leaderships on both sides; at least without Hamas.

Why has everything failed so far? Both provide new insights:

Keyword: Oslo agreement with Arafat. Al-Kidwa, Arafat's nephew: there was a lack of equality with the stronger partner, definitive borders and a halt to the settlement policy.

Keyword: massacre of October 7. Olmert: "It didn't happen because of Israel's weakness, but because of Israel's arrogance (to think such a thing was possible)".

Key issue Jerusalem - Olmert was mayor there: undivided capital of both peoples, but with a special solution for the holy sites in the Old City: "Neither flag should fly there, otherwise we will never reach a solution. It should be administered by an international community including Jews and Palestinians".