Israel Matzav

Ask anyone but the 'Palestinians'

The Obama administration continues to pressure Israel and even to pressure the Arab League over extending the 'settlement freeze' and not withdrawing support for the direct talks, respectively. But the one thing they will not do is to pressure the 'Palestinians' to drop the demand for an extension of the 'freeze' (Hat Tip: Gershon D).

As Arab leaders and foreign ministers prepare to meet in Libya beginning Friday, U.S. officials have spent days trying to persuade them not to withdraw their earlier backing for the talks. Arab support is seen as key for the Palestinians to stay at the table, especially if Israel does not renew a partial freeze on West Bank settlements.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has threatened to walk out of the negotiations if the freeze is not extended. Despite frantic American efforts, including the offer of a broad package of security and political incentives, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet been convinced to do that.

...

Arab League backing is not guaranteed and several key members - including Egypt and Jordan, the only two with peace deals with Israel - have said they would support a Palestinians refusal to negotiate with Israel as long as it continues to build West Bank settlements. Still, Egypt and Jordan have called for more efforts to salvage the talks.

Several U.S. officials said they were optimistic that the Arab League meetings would not end with a call for the Palestinians to abandon the talks. These officials said they expected rancor from some Arab states, notably Syria, but that other more moderate nations would prevail.

They said they believed Arab leaders would adopt an ambiguous statement that leaves room for maximum flexibility by the Palestinians to stay at the table and sends a message to Israel that the Arab world is serious about peace. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the diplomacy.

A message that the Arab world is serious about peace would include some of the types of concessions that the Obama administration attempted to obtain from the Arab world a year and a half ago when they slammed the door in the Americans' faces. Instead, Obama pressured Israel to adopt a freeze unilaterally, for which Israel got nothing in return. The 'Palestinians' then refused to come to the table for nine months, and would have continued to refuse to come to the table but for the freeze's impending expiration. And now, Israel is being asked to extend the freeze AND to agree to changing the talks' agenda so that all that is discussed during the extension is the future borders of a 'Palestinian state.'

So the 'Palestinians' continue to be treated like the fragile etrog of the recently concluded holiday; their actions never have adverse consequences for them, no matter how outrageous those actions are.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:14 PM