The editors of the NYT are all for Starting the peace process
Israelis and Palestinians are supposed to begin serious negotiations tomorrow after last month’s long-on-optics, short-on-specifics Annapolis peace meeting. Despite all the smiles and handshakes, both sides went home and fell back into some familiar, counterproductive patterns.
And what might those “familiar. counterproductive patterns” be?
Days after the American-led conference prepared the ground for the first serious peace talks in seven years, Israel announced that it would be adding 307 new homes to a settlement south of East Jerusalem, a violation of the spirit of Israel’s commitments.
A “violation of the spirit?”
And on the other side?
The government-run Palestinian Authority TV also clearly hasn’t gotten the post-Annapolis message: broadcasting a map of the region soon after the meeting that pointedly erased Israel.Important Arab states were invited to Annapolis so that they could bolster Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as he confronts politically difficult choices. Saudi Arabia and Egypt, however, did Mr. Abbas no favors last week, arranging coveted pilgrimages for Palestinians on a Hamas-approved list.
Let’s be clear, these are no “violations of the spirit.” These violations are to the very assumptions of the peace process. The “no Israel” graphic of course is a confirmation of the statements of “moderate” PA officials that Israel can’t be a Jewish state. The idea that a Jewish state can exist in the Middle East is not accepted by Israel’s “peace partners.”
As far as Saudi Arabia and Egypt are concerned, I don’t know that they’re not doing Mr. Abbas any favors. He himself seems to be on the same page as Hamas.
Besides we’ve been down this road before.
‘Clinton said Israel compromised more than the Palestinians, but this is not accurate,” Helmi Barakat, a political analyst based in Washington, said in a Jezeera interview. ”According to international law, Jerusalem is occupied land and I do not believe the Arabs should be expected to compromise or give up their sovereignty over Jerusalem.”During the last few days, a number of Arab leaders like Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudia Arabia and President Mubarak have joined with Mr. Arafat’s domestic opponents in Islamic militant movements to weigh in on the issue. They all but threatened Mr. Arafat with political excommunication if he accepted Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s proposals for administrative control over parts of the city and access to — but not sovereignty over — the major Muslim sites.
Experts said, however, that Mr. Arafat did not need reminders.
”Arafat knew beforehand that any compromise on Jerusalem would be the end of Arafat,” said Tahsin Basheer, a former aide to Anwar Sadat, the Egyptian president who was the first Arab leader to make peace with Israel, in 1979.
And what must each side do to help the other?
They will have more luck if both can show their citizens that life can be better — today. Israel must work with the Palestinians to expedite passage through border checkpoints that are a constant source of Palestinian frustration. Mr. Abbas should order a review of Palestinian textbooks and order his aides to curb rhetoric that Israelis say incite terrorism.
Israel must take risks with its security and the Palestinians must watch what they say. (And note the weaselly qualifier “…that Israelis say incite …”)
How about something like this instead?
“The Palestinians must become serious about fighting terror so that Israel can expedite passage through checkpoints.”
or
“The Palestinians must use the massive amounts of foreign aid they are receiving to build a viable economic infrastructure instead of on luxury condos for their leaders.”
or
“The Palestinians ought to stop complaining about so-called Israeli “settlements.” If “settlements” (really “communities”) were the problem, there would be no more terror from Gaza.”
or
“The Palestinians must finally observe the commitments they started making back in 1993 in order to show the Israeli people that they are finally serious about making peace”
Daled Amos has the impertinence to ask a pertinent question:
Ever notice that the only ones who seem to be successfully forced to do things to increase Abbas’ stature in the eyes of Palestinian Arabs is Israel?
The problem with the editorial is that the editors of the Times have fallen back into a familiar, unproductive pattern of equivalence.
Crossposted on Soccer Dad.
The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the – Web Reconnaissance for 12/11/2007 A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day…so check back often.