Israel Matzav

Never missing an opportunity to miss an opportunity

According to a report on Arutz Sheva, 'moderate' 'Palestinian President' Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen has once again taken advantage of an opportunity to miss an opportunity. In this case, we can only be glad that Abu is a bigger fool than the fool who extended the opportunity - Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

Olmert offered Abu an independent state with 'provisional borders' in 90 percent of Judea and Samaria as well as all of Gaza. Israel would retain security control in the Jordan Valley. (Does that sound familiar?).

The provisional borders would run along the line of the Israeli 'security fence,' a move that former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon insisted was not in the works, but which the right always warned would eventually happen. Recall, that the first champion of the 'security fence' was Ehud Barak, who used to say in his nasally voice "tzarich hafrada FIZIT beineinu l'bein ha'Palestinaim" (we need a physical division between ourselves and the 'Palestinians'), and you can bet that Barak - who tried to give away more of the country than anyone before or since, was not looking to hold onto land.

But guess what: Abu isn't interested.

Abu Mazen has rejected the idea, according to PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erekat – for the second time since the creation of the Road Map peace plan. In an interview with Al-Ayam, a daily newspaper, Erekat said the PA remains firm on its demands for Israel to withdraw to the pre-1967 borders. It also demands the right of return for hundreds of thousands of Arabs who left Israel during the war and establishment of the PA state with Jerusalem as its capital. The 'Palestinians' keep saying this over and over again. Maybe one day, we will even listen to them and realize that they will not accept any compromise and therefore there is little to be gained by negotiating with them. But instead we keep trying to give them 'provisional states' and they keep turning us down.

The previous PA government led by Abu Mazen also rejected the idea of a provisional state, despite U.S. support for the plan. At the time, Abu Mazen insisted instead on immediate talks to determine a final agreement on permanent borders.

The road map calls for a gradual process in which an independent PA state would be created with provisional borders “as a way station to a permanent status settlement”. The PA, for its part, would have to prove its peaceful intentions in Phase I by dismantling terror groups and ending all violence against Israel and formally recognizing the Jewish state. It hasn't happened, and let's face it: it's not going to happen either.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:01 AM