Israel Matzav

Arab League to Israel: 'It's now or never'

First, here's a video to get you in the mood.

Let's go to the videotape.



The Arab League summit in Doha, Qatar has given Israel one more chance to commit suicide. It has told Israel that it's now or never for the 2002 Saudi initiative.

Arab leaders in Qatar for the Arab League summit sent Israel an ultimatum Sunday: Accept the Saudi Peace Initiative or it will be rescinded.

The draft proposal of the statement states: "The peace initiative being proposed today will not be on offer for a long time. Arab commitment to this initiative is dependent on Israeli acceptance."

The draft proposal was formulated by the Arab foreign ministers, and will be presented to the Arab League's leaders Monday for approval.

The wording is a compromise between the hardline Arab countries, mainly Syria and Qatar, and the moderates, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

For those who have forgotten, the 2002 Saudi plan features 'acceptance' (but not recognition) of Israel by the Arab League in exchange for Israel's return to the Auschwitz borders of 1967 and a 'just and agreed upon solution' to the 'Palestinian refugee problem' (i.e. letting whatever is left of Israel after its dismemberment be overrun by 'Palestinian refugees'). Here's a JPost article that explained it (with my comments interspersed):

The Saudi Peace plan of February 2002 was re-launched by the Arab League in March 2007 in Riyadh as the Arab Peace Initiative, and calls for a full Israel withdrawal from all territories taken in the Six Day War, including east Jerusalem and the Golan Heights, in exchange for normal ties with the Arab world. [Those 'ties' are probably not worth much more than our ties with the Egyptians. Egypt continues to shun tourism to and business with Israel and continues to conduct war games that posit Israel as the enemy. CiJ]

It also calls for a "just solution" to the Palestinian refugee problem in accordance with UN General Assembly Resolution 194, but stated that the Arab League would back any plan on the matter agreed by Israel and the Palestinians.

UN General Assembly Resolution 194 from 1948 states that "refugees wishing to return to their homes and live at peace with their neighbors should be permitted to do so." [It would mean the end of the Jewish state if all of the third and fourth generation 'Palestinians' who claim 'refugee' status were permitted to return here. CiJ]

Thanks, but no thanks. Never.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:42 PM