Probably we can best understand the U.S. position from the peace process when we listen to Mitchell’s latest interview: http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/10796
Mitchell has been so conservative with the media since he was appointed as the Special Envoy for the Middle East Peace. It was the same strategy that he used when he was leading peace talks in Ireland back in the ninties. Nonetheless, this unexpectable long interview gives us a good insight of the efforts the U.S. administration are pushing forward lately.

Obama’s occupation with the American internal conflicts, such as passing the Health Care Bill, has destined him from the Peace Process issue the past months. Nonethless, now that he got some pressure off his shoulders he’s back to the game. Nonetheless, if we reflect on the events of the last couple months or so, positions were as the following. Israel claims they’re ready to sit on the negotiation table, no pre-conditions, no timelime. PA claimed that they will not sit unless settlement activities were completely halted. Later it was slightly unnoticably dervied into we will not sit back on the table unless Israel halt settlement activities and they recognize the 1967 borders as a reference for the negotiations. U.S. call both sides to go back to negotiation tables with no pre-conditions, and from now and then they’d issue a statement condemning with the shiest words the Israeli practices in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

As for the Israeli government, it’s clear they are not ready to compromise. The PA sets their lowest bar (unacceptably low) as what seems to be their highest bar. The Israeli government wants to lower it even more since that is the basic rule of “negotiations”.

PA who have put high hopes on the new U.S. administration (unrealisticly and desperately high), realized that their hopes were chattered and tried to force pressure into the Israeli side by acting “reluctant”. This desperate act failed to convince any side and barely brought any pressure on the Israeli or American side, thus they’re trying to find the safe way back. This situation will not be helpful for the PA, if it goes longer it will result in a form of an internal “coup”.

The U.S. administration are coming back with the “lifeline” for the PA and another round of an unfruitful negotiations. Mitchell has a paper of guarantees ready for both sides. The key point in this paper is that it will set the 1967 borders as a refernce to negotiations. Thus, it will give the PA a reason to go back to the table.

The next couple of weeks will be critical. The fail of going back to the fruitless, useless negotiations will result in another round of violence. The Israeli government is in an internal conflict. They need to move forward. Either by starting another round of negotiation, free Shalit, or a new round of war or military operation that they will hope that it will be successful after two disasterous failing ones in 2006 and 2008.

We’re heading into either a new round of unsensable disasterous negotiations or into war. Welcome the war if it was they want to take us there. We are defending their rights and our lands. The reserve of blood that we have to give for our home and rights is endless. The reserve of blood that they’re willing to give to destruct and to keep on oppressing is limted. It is a finger-biting battle. They just have to be careful that they don’t wait till their fingers get cut.

Just a thought.:)
.-= Palestine Youth Voice´s last blog ..Happy New Year Palestine! =-.