Obama's Hot Air Against Israel
source: http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=170973
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At most, the newly announced housing plan shows Israel doesn't want to give up all of E. J'lem as part of a peace agreement. Not exactly news.
The area in question is not some new settlement but a neighborhood about five blocks from the pre-1967 border. The people who live there have the highest birth rate in the country and thus desperately need new apartments.
Israel has announced since 1993, when the Oslo Agreement was signed, that it would continue building on existing settlements. The PLO accepted this framework and during the next 16 years the issue of construction on settlements never had any effect on the negotiations.
In January 2009, the PA stopped negotiations because Hamas attacked Israel from the Gaza Strip and Israel defended itself. Of course, Hamas is also the PA’s enemy and the PA would be delighted if Israel destroyed that group. But for public relations purposes, the PA had to pretend inter-Palestinian solidarity.
A few weeks later, the new US president, Barack Obama, demanded that all construction on settlements stop. Israel eventually agreed but announced it would keep building in east Jerusalem. The US accepted that arrangement and even praised Israel’s policy as a major concession.
But the PA still refused to return to negotiations. Was it because the construction offended it so deeply? No, it’s because Fatah’s radical leaders don’t want to make a peace deal since they believe they can win total victory and destroy Israel. At the same time, the more moderate ones are too weak to make a deal because of Hamas and their own radicals.
IN SEPTEMBER 2009, Obama announced that within two months there would be full and final peace negotiations in Washington. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said yes; PA leader Mahmoud Abbas said no. Finally, after more than six additional months of effort, the PA deigned to talk, but only indirectly. Wait a minute! Supposedly, Israel doesn’t want a deal and the Palestinians are desperate for one since, in Obama’s words, their situation is “intolerable.” So why is reality the other way around? There must be something wrong with that explanation.
Why aren’t Western countries and media saying that the PA’s refusal to negotiate for 15 months shows that it doesn’t want peace? After all, according to the commonly held view of the conflict, it should be demanding immediate direct negotiations to reach a comprehensive peace and a Palestinian state.
Instead, however, Abbas seized the opportunity of the apartment-building announcement to declare he wouldn’t talk. Is he indignant? Is he upset? Does he feel betrayed? No, he’s delighted to have an excuse to do what he wants – not negotiate with Israel.
The area in question is not some new settlement but a neighborhood about five blocks from the pre-1967 border. The people who live there have the highest birth rate in the country and thus desperately need new apartments.
Israel has announced since 1993, when the Oslo Agreement was signed, that it would continue building on existing settlements. The PLO accepted this framework and during the next 16 years the issue of construction on settlements never had any effect on the negotiations.
In January 2009, the PA stopped negotiations because Hamas attacked Israel from the Gaza Strip and Israel defended itself. Of course, Hamas is also the PA’s enemy and the PA would be delighted if Israel destroyed that group. But for public relations purposes, the PA had to pretend inter-Palestinian solidarity.
A few weeks later, the new US president, Barack Obama, demanded that all construction on settlements stop. Israel eventually agreed but announced it would keep building in east Jerusalem. The US accepted that arrangement and even praised Israel’s policy as a major concession.
But the PA still refused to return to negotiations. Was it because the construction offended it so deeply? No, it’s because Fatah’s radical leaders don’t want to make a peace deal since they believe they can win total victory and destroy Israel. At the same time, the more moderate ones are too weak to make a deal because of Hamas and their own radicals.
IN SEPTEMBER 2009, Obama announced that within two months there would be full and final peace negotiations in Washington. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said yes; PA leader Mahmoud Abbas said no. Finally, after more than six additional months of effort, the PA deigned to talk, but only indirectly. Wait a minute! Supposedly, Israel doesn’t want a deal and the Palestinians are desperate for one since, in Obama’s words, their situation is “intolerable.” So why is reality the other way around? There must be something wrong with that explanation.
Why aren’t Western countries and media saying that the PA’s refusal to negotiate for 15 months shows that it doesn’t want peace? After all, according to the commonly held view of the conflict, it should be demanding immediate direct negotiations to reach a comprehensive peace and a Palestinian state.
Instead, however, Abbas seized the opportunity of the apartment-building announcement to declare he wouldn’t talk. Is he indignant? Is he upset? Does he feel betrayed? No, he’s delighted to have an excuse to do what he wants – not negotiate with Israel.
