Barry Rubin – the long of it
The attractiveness of unilateralism is understandable. Why make a deal with Israel that might require recognizing it as a Jewish state, taking a bit less territory on the West Bank or having to swap some pieces of land with Israel, providing Israel with security guarantees, giving up the dream of total victory and Israel’s elimination, and accepting limits on your military forces when you can just demand, and possibly get, everything you want from the United States, Europe, the UN, or the international community in general?
This is also an ideal strategy in domestic terms since any concessions are unpopular. If Fatah and the PA want to make up with Hamas, avoiding any concessions is vital. And if they don’t want Hamas to make political capital out of their “treasonous moderation” the same point applies.
Of course, that means the conflict will continue, people will die, Palestinians will continue to be (or at least will be perceived as) suffering, and everything can be blamed on Israeli intransigence. There would be no peace and no Palestinian state, but that better suits the PA’s current strategy and again would largely be blamed on Israel.
Is it really so hard to understand that this is what is really happening? The PA is not desperately eager for a deal. The construction of apartments is not the roadblock. The PA and Fatah have very good reasons from their standpoint for not wanting to make peace with Israel.
Nevertheless, the illusion is maintained: If only one more concession is made to the Palestinians. If they are only reassured and flattered. If they are only promised east Jerusalem as their capital. If Israel freezes construction on West Bank settlements. And stops finishing up 3000 apartments. And stops any building in Jerusalem. And does this or that action and give such and such a concession then the kingdom of peace will be upon us.
And when this strategy fails over and over again–as it did throughout the 1990s, instead of learning the lesson there will be found one more fault of Israel which explains why things didn’t work out.
Cliff May – the shorter version
The truth is that one American administration after another has embraced the same false premises and, from that starting point, set into motion a “peace process†that ineluctably fails. Afterwards, they say: “We came so close!†Which is like saying: “The last time I jumped off the roof, I almost flew!â€
Crossposted on Soccer Dad.
