Report: Obama to call for 'demilitarized Palestinian state,' no 'right of return'
Israel's Hebrew-language Yediot Aharonot gave details of President Obama's 'Middle East initiative' in a report on Wednesday. The initiative is to be unveiled when Obama apologizes to the Muslim world in Cairo on June 4, 2009 - the day before the 42nd anniversary of the outbreak of the Six Day War. Curiously, JPost is referring to it as the 'Obama-Abdullah Plan.' Yediot reported that Obama's vision for an independent, democratic and contiguous Palestinian state would not have its own army and would be forbidden from making military agreements with other states, in order to provide for Israel's security.Look for calls for Israel to sign on before the Arabs make any kind of commitment. Look for Abdullah to claim he had nothing to do with the part that grants 'Palestinians' citizenship in their countries of residence (does anyone really believe that Abdullah is going to give all those 'Palestinian refugees' in Jordan citizenship?), and to claim that he insists on a 'right of return.' Look for the American taxpayer to be saddled with billions of dollars of 'compensation' for 'Palestinian refugees' (like the US can afford it). And look for Bibi to just say no, because none of this is ever going to happen.
The matter of borders would be solved with territorial exchanges between Israel and the Palestinians, and the Old City of Jerusalem would be established as an international zone.
The initiative would require the Palestinians to give up their claim of a "right of return," according to Yediot, and Europe and the US would arrange compensation for refugees, including foreign passports for those residing abroad.
Obama's plan would also promote holding simultaneous talks between Israel and the Palestinians, and Syria and Lebanon. Yediot said that when such talks come to an agreement on Palestinian statehood, diplomatic and economic relations would be established between Israel and Arab states.
The report added that in his Cairo address, Obama would reiterate calls for Israel to cease all settlement construction.
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:29 AM
3 Comments:
Carl, I don't argue with your conclusion. The Palestinians will reject any solution short of allowing them to destroy Israel, the Arab countries are not about to get rid of the so-called "refugee issue" that is perennially employed as a propaganda weapon against Israel and for its part Israel is not going to accept that a Palestinian state can be kept demilitarized and its not going to agree to a division of Jerusalem or the right of return. In short, for the reasons just stated, the Obama peace vision will go nowhere.
But if we write it in a document and bunch of people sign it, then it HAS to work, right?
Actually, Jordan is the only Arab country that does give their "palis" citizenship.
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