'Israel need not wage US' war'

MUMBAI: As Israel's foreign minister he was the co-author, along with former US president Bill Clinton, of the famous Middle East peace roadmap that went haywire soon after it was laid out. At a time when the Jewish state is in the eye of a storm for its actions in Lebanon, Shlomo Ben-Ami has a word of caution for his nation.

As a former foreign minister, Mr Ben-Ami believes that Israel should not spearhead the US war on terrorism. On a one-day visit to Mumbai, Mr Ben-Ami shared his views, which are dramatically different from what most of Israel hold.

Mr Ben-Ami joined the Labor Party government of Ehud Barak in July 1999. Next year, in August '00, when David Levy resigned as foreign minister of Israel during talks with Palestinian leaders in the US, Mr Barak designated him as the acting foreign minister. Mr Ben-Ami was officially appointed foreign minister in November '00.

He remained foreign minister and security minister till Ariel Sharon took charge in March '01. Since then Mr Ben-Ami stayed away from the government, though he continues to be a member of the Israeli parliament, Knesset.

Having served Israel at a crucial time from a crucial post, Mr Ben-Ami believes that the time has come for Israel to “create its own political space and manoeuvrability”.

This, according to him, will be a key factor in reshaping the Middle East. Mr Ben-Ami was candid enough to criticise his country's over reliance on the US. “We should not be spearheading the US' war in the region,” he said. “Considering our long association and strategic interests, Israel and the US will always be together. Only thing I want is Israel must have its own space. We should disengage the US a bit,” he said.

He held the US responsible for the current turmoil in the region. He criticised the US penchant for imposing democracy in the Arab world. “What's the need? We should not be thinking that the responsibility to save this great civilisation in the region lies on our shoulders,” he noted with sarcasm in his voice.

According to him, what Israel wants is stable governments — whether democracies or otherwise — in nations around it. He blamed the US for destabilising the equilibrium of the Middle East by the war on Iraq. “The whole region appears shaky now,” he said.

Commenting on the recent Israel-Lebanon conflict, Mr Ben-Ami categorically denied that it was a war on terror. “It is more of a political issue,” he said.

According to him, Hezbollah was equally armed even before Israel left Lebanese soil five years ago. When asked about the chances of peace in the region, he said, “Where is the most important third partner? How can peace be achieved in its absence?”