Quotes of the Day

A few weeks ago I had an argument with a friend over the use of the term "occupation." "Whenever you want to explain to an audience why things here are so bad," my friend argued, "you should make it clear that nothing will change until the occupation is over."

I agreed with the essence of what he was saying, but not with his use of that term, important as it is. Not that I see Israel's grip on the territories as anything other than occupation, but I knew only too well that most Israelis did not share that view. "As soon as you use the word 'occupation', your audience will just stop listening," I explained. Israelis have buried the occupation deep down in their subconscious. They believe the Oslo Accords ended the occupation, and now this term represents an extremist left-wing opinion, naive and blind to reality. "Describe the impossibility of the daily life of the Palestinians, talk about the innocent victims, explain how evil the expropriation of land is," I told my friend. "But don't mention any 'occupation'. This goes far beyond politics; it's a psychological issue."

I have seen the response myself. "You just have nothing to say, so you use that word 'occupation,'" Right-wing friends have argued. "Sober up. The blame is squarely in the Palestinian court. The fact that the settlements were not dismantled, and that the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is still present in the Palestinian territories is a direct result of the Palestinian Authority's violent response to Barak's offer in Camp David," they have insisted. Indeed, for the past two-and-a-half years, the grim matzav (situation) is, in the eyes of most Israelis, the direct result of Yasser Arafat's decision to reject Ehud Barak's offers in Camp David, as well as Arafat's strategic decision to open a violent struggle, the Aqsa Intifadeh.

The Palestinian refusal to accept Barak's offer, the Israeli narrative continues, can be explained by only two interpretations. The first is that the Palestinians decided that whatever they had not achieved by diplomatic efforts they could achieve through violence. The second is that they will never accept the existence of the Israeli state and this is why they did not — and never will — sign any agreement declaring the end of the conflict. Both explanations have nothing to do with Israel's behavior. In this climate, it is no wonder that Ariel Sharon's recent use of the forbidden word let a psychological genie out of the bottle. Sharon — maybe intentionally, maybe not — shook Israelis out of their complacent state of self-righteousness: Israeli public feeling can swiftly move from euphoria to defensive accusation. But this change is deeper.

The vast change in the Israeli zeitgeist is already apparent, only a week after the Aqaba summit and the launch of the Road Map. IDF assassinations of terrorist leaders have become routine, without any media outcry. This week, after the attempt to assassinate Abdul Aziz Rantisi, an attempt that claimed the life of a woman and wounded severely a little girl, the media was atypically enthusiastic to cover left-wing outrage. The protests and demonstrations that normally would not have won a second of the screen time got an extensive coverage. Sharon and his right-wing government might delay, obstruct and struggle against implementing the Road Map.

Undoubtedly, it will take a very long time for Israel to trust the Palestinians. The terrorists will keep striking and we will experience more bloodshed. But the genie, the good genie, is out of the bottle. You can already feel the change in the national psyche. Israelis may have to face their fears and come out of the shell in which they have hidden for the last three years. This will be, in so many ways, a great relief. It will enable us to take responsibility for our actions, and through that process, to regain some control of our future.

And, maybe, just maybe, there may also be a slight chance to dig up another term from its deep grave, a term that has become extremely unfashionable and fallen out of use. Can any Israeli recall the last time they used the word "peace"?

• MICHAL LEVERTOV | Tel Aviv
• Sharon has jolted Israelis out of their complacency, says Michal Levertov