A second Possibilitarian: Amos Gvirtz, Kibbutz Shefayim

Mr. Gvirtz, tho living on a kibbutz and once an advocate for the kibbutzim movement, now wished only to talk with us delegates about the Israeli peace movement. He praised President Arafat for forming the first entity—call it a nation?—constituted to negotiate with the Israeli government. He also outlined two different interpretations of what war means. For the Israelis, war is shooting and bombing, the classic use of a military apparatus. For the Palestinians however, war means closures, separation barriers, curfews, and other forms of oppression. So when the Israelis declare a cease-fire they mean no more shooting. A cease-fire for the Palestinians would mean the lifting of oppression. Thus, he explained cogently, cease-fires usually fail because of different interpretations.