Israel Matzav

Abu Bluff coming to Jerusalem

'Moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen is going on Wednesday where his predecessor never went. Abu Mazen will meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Prime Minister's official residence in Jerusalem. Arafat always met with Israeli officials in Tel Aviv or Ramallah; the only time he was in Jerusalem was when Israeli officials allowed him to traverse the city on the way from Bethlehem to Ramallah during a driving rainstorm late at night. Ironically, just last week, the 'Palestinians' protested the World Jewish Congress meeting that took place a stone's throw away from Netanyahu's residence two weeks ago. Abu Mazen's presence in Jerusalem also violates a boycott that the 'Palestinian Authority' imposed on the city.

Abu Mazen has been to Jerusalem before.

The meeting is apparently to discuss the end of the 'settlement freeze' which expires at the end of the month. The 'Palestinians' are once again threatening to quit the talks if the freeze is not extended (Israel Radio reported on Wednesday morning that the talks in Sharm on Tuesday nearly blew up over the issue), and although George Mitchell attempted to put a smiley face on Tuesday's talks, the 'Palestinians' are saying that they will not allow progress to be made on other issues unless and until there is an extension of the freeze.

JPost's Khaled Abu Toameh says that despite the bellicose rhetoric from the 'Palestinians,' the word on the street in Ramallah is that they will have to back down from an insistence on the freeze being extended.

In recent days, for all the rhetoric, there have been signs that the PA leaders seem to realize that construction in the settlements and Jerusalem will resume in one way or another.

According to informed sources in Ramallah, the PA leadership has no choice but to accept a partial freeze – one where Israel would continue to build quietly while the PA turns a blind eye.

But this will not come without a price, as far as the PA is concerned. The PA’s credibility among Palestinians has already suffered a major setback because of its agreement to launch direct talks with Israel unconditionally.

Abbas and the PA leadership had for many months been promising the Palestinians that they would never enter direct talks with Israel unless Israel halted construction in the settlements and east Jerusalem neighborhoods.

Under heavy pressure from the Obama administration, this precondition was dropped, along with others it had set over the past few months.

Now it seems highly unlikely that the Palestinians will indeed carry out their threat to walk out of the direct talks if the freeze is not extended at the end of the month. And that will further damage what’s left of the PA leadership’s credibility among its constituents.

The price of the 'Palestinians' giving up on the freeze is still being discussed. Among the possible concessions are Netanyahu meeting with Abu Bluff in Ramallah, another terrorist release, and the transfer of some areas of Judea and Samaria from Area C (full Israeli control) to Area A (full 'Palestinian' control). That last possibility would raise a lot of hackles here.

One other thing: Israel Radio wondered on Wednesday morning whether the 'Palestinian' flag would be flown over Netanyahu's residence during the meeting. Whether that happens remains to be seen, but the 'Palestinian' flag was already flown at a meeting in Jerusalem in 2008.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:38 AM