Israel from the Inside: A Discussion with Chris Mitchell of CBN News -- Part Two

By Craig von Buseck
CBN.com Contributing Writer

CBN.com – CRAIG VON BUSECK: When you say you felt the Lord led you here, if I can ask, how did the Lord lead you in that? Did he speak to your wife as well as you? How did that work?

CHRIS MITCHELL: I first came over here in 1996 and really felt a love for this land and the people of this land. I came again the next year, not realizing that we would eventually be living here. I came again in 1998 and by that time CBN had made the position available. So, I prayed more fervently about it and so did my wife. After we had prayed and fasted we both felt we were supposed to come. We expected to come in 1999 but the door just wasn't open. They told us in May of 2000 that they were going to open it up.

VON BUSECK: Getting back to the political situation, there has been a change with Saddam Hussein taken out of the picture. That does change things in this region. We now have Air Force bases that are within striking distance. Not that we could not have struck before, but they are right there, not too far away. How does that change the picture? Has the time come for Yasser Arafat to go in light of the United States being there, Saddam being taken out, and this new prime minister, Abu Mazen, coming in? Do you think the time has come for, let's say for example the United States and Israel decide, 'you're done, and you either leave or we will make you leave?' Is that not realistic?

MITCHELL: It is realistic to some people. Some people wanted Arafat to leave years ago.

VON BUSECK: Thirty years ago.

MITCHELL: Or thought he never should have come when they brought the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) back here to Israel. During the Intifada there have been calls by many within the Israeli government that he should leave

VON BUSECK: More on the conservative side?

MITCHELL: Benjamin Netanyahu has done that and others probably in the Likud Party, other right wing parties too. Right now it is a politically difficult thing to get rid of Arafat because he is supported by the European Union, by Egypt, by Jordan, and by some other Arab countries. And yet he is persona non grata with both Israel and the United States. I'm not sure if they feel it is in their political interest right now to deport Arafat because of this disagreement, even within the quartet; whether Arafat is the person to talk to or not. Right now you have this odd situation where some foreign ministers from the European Union go visit Arafat while Colon Powell comes here and ignores him and won't visit with him. So, there is a schism right now in the quartet, particularly in the question of 'should Arafat be even courted at all or is he part of the negotiations?'

VON BUSECK: From my perspective, and I am by no means an expert, but it appears to me that the more liberal-leaning politicians both in the United States, in Europe, and even here, have been more willing to reach out to Arafat. Whereas when President Bush came into office, he very clearly said, 'no, we are not even going to deal with this guy.' The conservatives in Israel have been the same way. Has that been your perspective as well?

MITCHELL: Oh yes, definitely. I think that the conservatives now are President Bush and Ariel Sharon, they have avoided dealing with Arafat while more liberal politicians will talk to him.

VON BUSECK: I asked an interesting "big picture" question of one of our tour guides today and I received the answer I was expecting. But I would like to ask that question of you to see what your take is. Why doesn't Jordan step in to help deal with this situation? In my estimation, most of the citizens in Jordan are Palestinians. Jordan was part of the old British/Palestinian area and was given that other side of the bank of the Jordan River. What is keeping Jordan from annexing the West Bank and just making it a part of Jordan, saying, 'alright, we are going to bring you under our sovereignty and that is it. Jordan, Israel, peace treaty, end of story, and we go on from here?'

MITCHELL: Well, actually they did annex it after the 1948 war, prior to the 1967 war. But if I understand, there are only two nations, I think it was Great Britain and Pakistan that acknowledged their annexation of that land. It is an interesting question. There have been some proposals that the Palestinians within the West Bank or in Gaza would become Jordanian citizens and somehow Israel would retain sovereignty over the land. So, there have been proposals like that. I think that Benny Elon (Israeli Minister of Tourism) has proposed something along those lines. It is an interesting proposal.

VON BUSECK: The new King of Jordan seems to be a learned man, and he seems to be willing to think outside the traditional box, somewhat like his father toward his later years. The tour guide told me, "They don't want the headaches. They know what kind of a problem it is. That is why Egypt didn't want Gaza. In the Camp David Accords they were going to give them the Gaza Strip and Egypt said they didn't want it." Does that float?

MITCHELL: I think I would agree with the tour guide. They don't want the Gaza Strip and the headaches. I am not so sure Jordan would want the West Bank right now. I don't exactly remember when they gave up their rights to the land there. I am not sure they want that problem right now. They might feel that it is in their own self-interest not to do that.

VON BUSECK: We look across the valley here in Jerusalem and there was Jordan at one time before 1967. They were here. They were right here in half of Jerusalem. I'm sure they had headaches and perhaps that is why they don't want them back. It is an interesting thought at any rate. Some people I have spoken with here in Israel are very hopeful while others are very cynical. What do you think the overall mood is? Or is it mixed as the way I have experienced it in terms of the Israelis?

MITCHELL: I think in terms of the Israelis it has grown much more cynical in the last two and a half years, and perhaps less hopeful. Yet there are still Israelis who maintain a hope that something can change. I think overall that it was really on the precipice of what Israelis thought was a breakthrough. And they really thought that peace would be achieved.

VON BUSECK: With Ehud Barak's proposal?

MITCHELL: Yes, with Barak's proposal. I think they went from one extreme to the other. I think even Israelis who really are maybe on the left side of the political spectrum had their hopes dashed and maybe their expectations curbed because of what happened. I think that has been reflected politically in the shift away from Labor (political party) and Meretz, and some of the other left parties that has been going to Likud.

VON BUSECK: Most of the people that I have met on this trip so far have been liberals, so it has been very interesting. We have had some fun conversations. At dinner last evening, one of the ladies was saying, "I have been pleasantly surprised with Sharon." She was not expecting much from him. Do you think that is reflecting the fact that their view of reality has changed in light of what has happened; that everyone, including some of the liberals have moved to the right a little bit?

MITCHELL: Yes, I think a lot of liberals have moved to the right as you experienced. At least they accept Sharon when they wouldn't have a few years ago. He was politically finished

VON BUSECK: He is like a phoenix.

MITCHELL: Yes, he was in the political hinterlands and then he became the Prime Minister. What happened is really quite remarkable.

Read part one of this interview with Chris Mitchell