Arab intransigence
Today, Palestine Authority Pres. Abbas is taking his case to the Arab League meeting of Foreign Ministers in Cairo, to ask them to support his position not to enter direct talks with Israel until Israel first agrees to a complete building freeze in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, agrees to the pre-June 1967 borders as those of the future Palestinian State and accepts the "right of return" of Palestinian "refugees." Of course, Israel rejects these preposterous pre-conditions, that would give the Palestinians their maximal positions prior to negotiations taking place. But, the US and the EU also support the re-start of direct negotiations without pre-conditions, as oulined by Pres. Obama and Secty of State Clinton and by EU Foreign policy leaders Dame Ashton and Miguel Moratinos, who is currently visiting Israel.
To the Western mind, such pre-conditions are absurd, since they in effect obviate the need to the negotiations, where give and take and compromise are supposed to occur. PM Netanyahu has accepted the idea of a "two-state" solution and has been calling for direct talks since the beginning of his Government. Abbas evaded this by first insisting on "proximity" talks, whose very indirectness made any progress impossible. Now, he claims that because the proximity talks have failed, he will not enter direct talks. If anything, it should be the opposite, because proximity talks are doomed to failure, direct talks are a necessity. But, that would only be for those who actually want peace. For those who do not, who are intransigent while pretending that they want peace, any excuse will do, and pre-conditions are ideal for that purpose. Of course, we should remember that the idea of pre-conditions came from Pres. Obama, who first assured the Palestinians that he could "deliver" Israel. But, they are still waiting.
Although we don't yet know the outcome of the Arab League meeting, it is easy to predict that it will support Abbas's position. It used to be that Yasir Arafat would make his own decisions, on behalf of the Palestinian people, and ignore the weak and divided Arab League. But now, if anything, it is the Palestinians who are weak and divided. Abbas needs the imprimatur of the Arab League to strengthen his position to reject Israel's willingness to negotiate, to reject the US and EU support for direct negotiations and to outflank Hamas, who are against any contacts with Israel. Pro-Palestinian extremists in the West will find all sorts of excuses for Abbas, that he is weak and that Israel is the aggressor and should make the consessions. But, no peace agreement can result this way. For those who truly seek peace it must be clear that the Arabs, by supporting Abbas in this instance, are the intranisgent party, preventing peace talks.
To the Western mind, such pre-conditions are absurd, since they in effect obviate the need to the negotiations, where give and take and compromise are supposed to occur. PM Netanyahu has accepted the idea of a "two-state" solution and has been calling for direct talks since the beginning of his Government. Abbas evaded this by first insisting on "proximity" talks, whose very indirectness made any progress impossible. Now, he claims that because the proximity talks have failed, he will not enter direct talks. If anything, it should be the opposite, because proximity talks are doomed to failure, direct talks are a necessity. But, that would only be for those who actually want peace. For those who do not, who are intransigent while pretending that they want peace, any excuse will do, and pre-conditions are ideal for that purpose. Of course, we should remember that the idea of pre-conditions came from Pres. Obama, who first assured the Palestinians that he could "deliver" Israel. But, they are still waiting.
Although we don't yet know the outcome of the Arab League meeting, it is easy to predict that it will support Abbas's position. It used to be that Yasir Arafat would make his own decisions, on behalf of the Palestinian people, and ignore the weak and divided Arab League. But now, if anything, it is the Palestinians who are weak and divided. Abbas needs the imprimatur of the Arab League to strengthen his position to reject Israel's willingness to negotiate, to reject the US and EU support for direct negotiations and to outflank Hamas, who are against any contacts with Israel. Pro-Palestinian extremists in the West will find all sorts of excuses for Abbas, that he is weak and that Israel is the aggressor and should make the consessions. But, no peace agreement can result this way. For those who truly seek peace it must be clear that the Arabs, by supporting Abbas in this instance, are the intranisgent party, preventing peace talks.
posted by Jack Cohen at 11:09 AM
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