Al Rai Kuwaiti newspaper reported that Israel is preparing itself to attack Hezbullah targets inside Syria. According to the newspaper, [singlepic id=352 w=280 h=200 float=left] Western sources stated that Israel is increasing its army forces on its northern border with Syria and Lebanon. The Israeli air force has made several flights over Syria and Lebanon to examine Hezbullah targets to prepare to attack them.

While Israel could be preparing for a possible attack against some targets inside Syria and Lebanon, Syria was warned not to interfere negatively in the direct talks that will start in the beginning of September between Israel and the Palestinians. According to the AL Quds AlArabi newspaper, Bashar Assad was asked to prevent any interfering in the peace talks and also to prevent the Palestinian movements that object the talks from making an action that would affect on the talks. The Syrian leadership refused to interfere in the Palestinian movements actions but promised not to intervene in the Palestinian position about the negotiations.
According to Hamas leader Khalil Abu Hayeh, Hamas will refuse any agreement that would come as a result of the negotiations between Israel and the PLO since Hamas does not consider the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank a legal representative of the Palestinian people. Other Hamas leaders such as Ismail Hanyeh stated similar statements that refuse the direct peace talks that are about to start in the beginning of September. Other sources such as AlArab website stated that President Obama promised King Abdullah of Jordan, the Saudi King and Egyptian President Mubarak that a Palestinian state would be declared in six months after the direct talks begin.
Eventhough there were American promises to take part in the negotiations and even suggest solutions for both sides, the situation does not seem to be promising. The Palestinian leadership agreed to go the direct talks only because of the pressure that was made by the American leadership and some Arab countries. Israel continues to refuse any kind of what it considers conditions before the negotiations. The settlements freeze is about to end in September and until this moment Israel did not state anything about renewing the settlement’s building freeze that is necessary to make it possible to work for establishing a Palestinian state.
The situation nowadays is not clear; there are many sides that refuse the idea of direct talks in both the Israeli and Palestinian streets. The possible reaction to the negotiations or to their failure would bring a critical result that would be more affecting than the second Intifada on the idea of choosing negotiations to reach a solution for the conflict. While Israel states that it is interested in direct talks with the Palestinians, it continues to prepare for a possible attack against Syrian and Lebanese targets on the borders. Such an operation would bring the whole Middle East into a confrontation that would be hard to end.
Another Question that rises about the Israeli actions is why the latter chooses to go to negotiations while it prepares its army force for near attacks and confrontations in the area. While looking at the past, one cam notice that Israel and its allies always chose the Palestinian case and the game of peace talks in order to get a cover for near future plans against other actors in the region so will the peace talks be for the sake of peace or it will be used as a cover for something bigger?

Ziad Khalil Abu Zayyad

A Palestinian-Arab living in East Jerusalem, Ziad graduated from College Des Freres in Jerusalem in 2003. Ziad finished his major in International Relations and English Literature from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ziad is a former President of the Watan student movement at the university. He is interested in Middle Eastern political issues and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Founder of the Middle East Post and MEL (Middle East Future Leadership Network), he represents Palestinian youth at several international conferences.

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