Fly on the wall
This dialog was released to me exclusively by the proverbial fly on the wall at the peace talks in Sharm-el-Sheikh.
Pres Abbas: I am very serious about this, we will leave the talks unless Israel extends it's building moratorium in the West Bank. We cannot accept that the future Palestinian State will be dotted with Jewish settlements, these talks cannot continue while Jewish building goes on on our territory.
PM Netanyahu: First of all, Pres Abbas, these talks were supposed to be secret, and I strongly resent your use of the media to try to bring pressure on me and my Government. Second, you knew for a long time the date of the end of the moratorium, so why did you deliberately delay the start of these talks until it was imminent. Third, you are supposed to be sincere about reaching peace and the establsihment of a Palestinian State, and you know none of this can be accomplished it you stick to this ridiculous charade.
Pres. Abbas: This is no charade Mr. Prime Minister, either you extend the moratorium or we are out of here!
PM Netanyahu: Mr. President we are in a negotiation. You know that I cannot continue the moratorium without losing face in my country and jeopardizing the stability of my government coalition. However, if you offer me a concession to make it worthwhile I could consider making a compromise on the building freeze.
Pres. Abbas: What kind of concession do you have in mind?
PM Netanyahu: I was thinking that we could extend mutual recognition to each other, we will recognize the right of the Palestinian Arab people to a State, if you will recognize Israel as the State of the Jewish people. Why is that so hard? If you do this I will extend the moratorium to all of the West Bank except the major Jewish settlement blocs in Ma'ale Adumim, Ariel and Etzion and of course Jerusalem.
Pres. Abbas: This is unacceptable, this is blackmail, your have the occupation and so you think you can pressure me to do what I cannot do. The Palestinian people can never recognize the right of the Jews to a State in Palestine.
PM Netanyahu: In that case, Mr. President, you are insincere in your pretense to these peace talks. Fine, don't make any concessions and the stalemate will continue and more or your people and mine will die. But, the Jewish building will go on in the West Bank, in Judea and Samaria, that are inextricably linked to the history of our people, and in the end you will find that you will not even be able to build an outhouse in the remnants of what you call Palestine.
Secty of State Clinton: Gentlemen, gentlemen, please keep calm, if you immediately reach a stalemate these talks will quickly fail and we will all look ridiculous. As you know, Pres. Obama will be very upset at such an outcome and he will vent his anger on both of you.
Pres. Abbas: He should blame the Israelis for the building in our territory.
PM Netanyahu: He should blame the Palestinians for being intransigent. We came here ready to compromise and they came here only with the same sterile demands.
Secty of State Clinton: What about the talk of a historic opportunity? Are these talks going to end the same way all previous talks did, in failure?
Pres Abbas: I am very serious about this, we will leave the talks unless Israel extends it's building moratorium in the West Bank. We cannot accept that the future Palestinian State will be dotted with Jewish settlements, these talks cannot continue while Jewish building goes on on our territory.
PM Netanyahu: First of all, Pres Abbas, these talks were supposed to be secret, and I strongly resent your use of the media to try to bring pressure on me and my Government. Second, you knew for a long time the date of the end of the moratorium, so why did you deliberately delay the start of these talks until it was imminent. Third, you are supposed to be sincere about reaching peace and the establsihment of a Palestinian State, and you know none of this can be accomplished it you stick to this ridiculous charade.
Pres. Abbas: This is no charade Mr. Prime Minister, either you extend the moratorium or we are out of here!
PM Netanyahu: Mr. President we are in a negotiation. You know that I cannot continue the moratorium without losing face in my country and jeopardizing the stability of my government coalition. However, if you offer me a concession to make it worthwhile I could consider making a compromise on the building freeze.
Pres. Abbas: What kind of concession do you have in mind?
PM Netanyahu: I was thinking that we could extend mutual recognition to each other, we will recognize the right of the Palestinian Arab people to a State, if you will recognize Israel as the State of the Jewish people. Why is that so hard? If you do this I will extend the moratorium to all of the West Bank except the major Jewish settlement blocs in Ma'ale Adumim, Ariel and Etzion and of course Jerusalem.
Pres. Abbas: This is unacceptable, this is blackmail, your have the occupation and so you think you can pressure me to do what I cannot do. The Palestinian people can never recognize the right of the Jews to a State in Palestine.
PM Netanyahu: In that case, Mr. President, you are insincere in your pretense to these peace talks. Fine, don't make any concessions and the stalemate will continue and more or your people and mine will die. But, the Jewish building will go on in the West Bank, in Judea and Samaria, that are inextricably linked to the history of our people, and in the end you will find that you will not even be able to build an outhouse in the remnants of what you call Palestine.
Secty of State Clinton: Gentlemen, gentlemen, please keep calm, if you immediately reach a stalemate these talks will quickly fail and we will all look ridiculous. As you know, Pres. Obama will be very upset at such an outcome and he will vent his anger on both of you.
Pres. Abbas: He should blame the Israelis for the building in our territory.
PM Netanyahu: He should blame the Palestinians for being intransigent. We came here ready to compromise and they came here only with the same sterile demands.
Secty of State Clinton: What about the talk of a historic opportunity? Are these talks going to end the same way all previous talks did, in failure?
posted by Jack Cohen at 8:52 PM
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