Incentives?
Maan quotes an article that is supposedly from Friday's Hebrew-only Maariv that claims that the US is planning to give Israel 'incentives' to negotiate based on the '1967 lines' (Hat Tip: Will via Joshuapundit). The US is preparing to offer incentives to Israel in exchange for a return to negotiations based on 1967 borders, Israel's Maariv newspaper reported Friday.What could go wrong?
US special envoy for the Middle East David Hale is reported to have said that the principles put forward in President Obama's May 19 speech were "the only way to move forward" in the peace process, a secret cable obtained by Maariv said.
The cable reportedly contains information from a meeting in Brussels on June 24 between Hale and colleagues from the Quartet.
In the meeting, Hale is reported to have stated that Israel must agree to President Obama's principles, but will receive something of value in return.
Despite Netanyahu's public objection to 1967 borders as the basis for negotiations, the US administration believes that Israel is "open to possibilities" and will show flexibility.
"The US is firmly against any UN initiative" and is determined to prevent a Palestinian UN bid by finding ways to return to direct negotiations, Hale said.
He added that the Palestinians should be helped "to preserve the continuum of negotiations" and said the objective of unity talks was "to reach results in the reconciliation agreement with Hamas, that would enable the international community to continue work with them.”
...
In response to the formula discussed by Hale, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is apparently seeking amendments and sent a special emissary to Washington on Wednesday to discuss the matter, Maariv said.
Labels: Middle East peace process, Palestinian state RIGHT NOW syndrome, unilateral declaration of statehood
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:37 PM
4 Comments:
Idjit Obama made them the only way to 'move forward'. But he has completely undermined the utility of any 'incentives' he might offer - if he won't abide by his predecessors' agreements with Israel, why would anyone expect he and future presidents to do so?
a) the President's "initiative" has been framed by an insistence that a Jewish presence in East Jerusalem is currently "illegitimate". Under this diktat Palestinian recognition of a Jewish state is not required. Fatah and Hamas can form a "unity government." Jewish rights in East Jerusalem and the Palestinian insistence of right of return are deferred beyond the horizon of unilateral Israeli spiritual and territorial concessions. This same initiative pressed again and again with prior American assurances torn up guarantees that Obama "incentives" are fools gold.
b) in any event we went down this road before. Just ask President Obama to put his so-called "incentives" in writing and they will melt away like a fair-weathered friend when trouble hts.
In the end, the Palestinians won't negotiate. Obama is determined to force a Palestinian state upon Israel regardless of whether this is good or not for Israel and its people. America's word, especially the word of this President is worthless. I do not think Washington will accept Israel's proposed amendments.
By attempting to appease Palestinian preconditions for negotiations (and validating Palestinian alternate universe bizarro history, and claims) young master Obama compels Israel to get off its hind legs and respond in turn--so that the negotiations are crammed into the beat-the-clock rounds of pre-negotiations over the preconditions.
Then things fall apart.
And there is no doubt, Abbas keeps saying 24/ 7, sure the PLO doesn't need unilateral UN recognition of a Judenrein reichlet (no Jews in East Jerusalem, demands for mass "right of return" to follow)--if the Quartet unilaterally recognizes the same diktat and bullies Israel to cave.
Getting the dhimmis to lean on Israel to accept Fatah's back-to-1947/1918 Weltanschauung, that's what Fatah calls "negotiations" and they think they have their ninny mark in Washington--after all they are following his lead:
"PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Monday that the Palestinians would return to the negotiating table with Israel once Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu declares his acceptance of the two-state solution on the basis of the pre-1967 lines and halts construction not only in the West Bank, but also in east Jerusalem.
Erekat is scheduled to visit Washington later this week for talks with US Administration officials on the statehood bid and ways of resuming the stalled peace process with Israel. He will be accompanied by Abbas's spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudaineh."
http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=227891
Even if Obama isn't sure he wants to toady to the one- Fatahamistan-state-up-front, one-to-come strategy of the Mufti and Arafat's successors, he keeps incentivizing Palestinian rejectionism and (we can pray) catalyzing Israeli self-preservation in response.
As noted, how can anything this guy be trusted?
And is this endless game of rope-a-dope a better alternative than cleanly breaking off negotiations with Fatah upfront and preparing Plan B options?
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