By David Levy, Ha'ir, 12.10.07   

Col. (Res). Shaul Arieli, a signatory on the Geneva Accord, in an interview with the Ha'ir weekly, spoke of the threat posed by Qassam rockets and its ramifications on a military operation in the Gaza Strip.
Arieli, a strategic consultant at the Economic Cooperation Fund, gives lectures and guides tours along the security barrier and areas of dispute. The hundreds opf lectures and tours he has given have made Arieli a walking encyclopedia on issues pertaining to the fence.
Geneva Initiative
Arieli says that when Ariel Sharon was elected, he understood the new prime minister was not headed towards peace, and therefore Arieli approached MK Yossi Beilin. "After I concluded my term as justice minister and left the Knesset," Beilin says, "Shaul Arieli approached me, said he left the army and that he believes it is necessary to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinians, and offered his assistance with any efforts I make in this direction." Beilin, who had just begun to advance the Geneva Initiative, offered Arieli the job of managing the territorial negotiations, and Arieli gladly accepted.
When the Geneva Initiative emerged, it received the backing of the European Union, but was rejected at home by both Prime Minister Sharon and Labor MKs on the left. Nonetheless, as opposed to a majority of the public, which views the Geneva Initiative as a passing event, Arieli believes is was an enormous success: "It's one of the main reasons we emerged out of the political stalemate. To this day, if you look at the position of Sharon and Olmet and the Israeli Public in the last four years, you'll see that in principle, it has gone left, towards Geneva. In terms of preparing public opinion, Geneva has made a great accomplishment."