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The New Israeli Political Ploy…. Direct Peace Talks
It seems that Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu thought very well of what kind of statements he should make while visiting the United States. While the [singlepic id=268 w=320 h=240 float=right]Israeli army is marketing a new file that includes several Hezbullah targets on the borders, the Israeli Politicians are trying to fix Israel’s picture around the world. Ben Eliezer’s call for a real Israeli action to stop the damage that is happening to Israel’s reputation because of its ongoing occupation of the Palestinian people was answered by a new Israeli smart plan that would take the Palestinians into another round of fake negotiations.
Prime Minister Netanyahu stated in New York that if direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority begin, it would be possible to reach a peace agreement within a year. When he was asked about the freeze on settlement construction, Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that this was an Israeli step that was made to show Israel’s true intentions for peace. Netanyahu signaled that it is not likely that the freeze would be renewed on September and that direct talks should take place between the Israeli and Palestinian sides without preconditions. Netanyahu also stated that security and legitimacy are the two basic elements that would help in making real peace in the Middle East. Netanyahu also stated that he agrees on the idea of two states for two peoples but insisted that Israel’s security must be guaranteed and that any possible Palestinian state must be demilitarized and must recognize the State of Israel. While listening to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s statements, I felt as if I hear similar statements that were made by former Israeli leaderships.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s only wish is to bring the Palestinians immediately into another peace conference. Netanyahu is very willing to launch a new peace summit play whether it would be in Jerusalem, Ramalla or anywhere else: a warm city like New York or a cool city anywhere else as he says. Palestinian demands such as an Israeli freeze of settlements is considered a precondition. Any discussion of the possible solutions for any final cases which were made in the indirect talks between the two sides were refused by Israel claiming that only direct talks should discuss such matters. Prime Minister Netanyahu blamed the Palestinians for losing the last several months without any development because of their refusal to go into direct talks. The Israeli refusal of any kind of discussion under the supervision of Senator Mitchell through indirect talks was never discussed. The Palestinian leadership is again lost between agreeing on direct talks and asking for an Israeli explanation for the Palestinian questions that were asked while still in the indirect talks. The Americans have lost faith in finding a solution for the Israeli Palestinian conflict but cannot make such a statement in public. Instead President Obama’s administration would prefer to create warm climate for a possible new peace summit although there is no assurance that it would bring anything out of it.
Instead the current situation and Israeli political thought assures that nothing would come out of it. Prime Minister Netanyahu have no problem in going into another one…two…three….four peace summits which will bring more time for the Israeli plans that include the continuing of settlements building in the West Bank, Judaizing East Jerusalem, seizing the West Bank very well and continuing the siege on Gaza. Time brought Israel many benefits since its establishment. Israel was offered in the beginning only 54% of Palestine historical land. Today it is offered more than 74% of the land and who knows how much it will be offered in the future. The only thing I see in such a new Israeli Political ploy is a new plan similar to Annapolis, Cam David and every another peace summit that was made in warm or cool cities, as Prime Minister Netanyahu wants while the Palestinian refugees are without home, the Gazanians are in a big ghetto, and the Palestinian people is still under occupation and apartheid policy. It is not direct talks or a good partner that may bring a solution that would put an end to the last occupation in the world; it is the Israeli thought about peace and ways of achieving it while committing to the thoughts of use of force and deterrence to assure “Israel’s security”.
The Palestinian leadership must avoid such fake invitations that will only destroy any real opportunity for peace between Israel and the Palestinians. The Israelis should take some years to re-educate the Israeli people that is still raised and taught that only force and self-reliance would assure the continuity of Israel in the Middle East. Such an education is given to deceive the Israeli people and let them support their leader’s decision to go wars such as in Gaza and Lebanon only a couple of years ago. The Palestinian leadership should remember the similar invitation that was made before the American last war on Iraq. The plan was to create a hope that the Palestinians would get a state in order to gain an Arab support for the American war against Sadam Hussein’s regime. The result was that the Palestinians themselves became a victim of a fake plan that brought division into the Palestinian leadership. The Palestinian people tried many peace talks kinds: direct, indirect, half direct and it brought nothing for them. The Palestinian people believe in peace as the right choice that would put an end for its suffering but this does not mean that their belief in peace should turn into a run after any fake invitations that hold no real promises within it. The Israeli leadership must not only freeze the settlements building in the West Bank and Jerusalem but it must also end it completely without any kind of renewal not to show intentions for peace but to stop a continuous Israeli violation of the International Law.
The West Bank and East Jerusalem is not an Israeli property and was occupied by force and killing people. Such a demand is not a precondition. To be honest I never found a generous negotiator such as the Palestinian who is ready to wait for a long time, negotiate what was once and twice negotiated and agreed on again and ready to accept new ideas and make compromises in matters that are considered a red line that cannot be crossed.
The problem is that Israel is still convinced that Eretz Israel is a property given by God to the Israeli people and that Jerusalem….all of Jerusalem is a city for Jews that shall never be discussed. These are preconditions made out of ethnic and religious thoughts that want to control the destiny of the whole of the Middle East. It is better to give the Israelis another year to study their choices very well rather than going into a useless peace summit that will repeat the former scenarios and will push the Palestinians to believe in other choices rather than peace.
The only hope of a settlement is a much tougher stand by the U.S. whose leverage (arms and money) over the whole situation is obvious to everyone. Obama, after a promising start, caved in to Israel within months of moving into the White House–presumably with his now jaundiced eye on the 2012 presidential election. The Jewish lobby had to be placated. But if he wins a second term, he has an opportunity to go down in history as the great peace maker of the Middle East. He can pressure Israel to accept a peace deal (along the lines he has already indicated) with guarantees about borders etc.that will be enforced by U.S. and international (UN?) peacekeepers.