If this story is correct, the 'peace processors' may as well pack up and go home. 'Moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud AbbasAbu Mazen has ruled out an end-of-conflict clause. It's inconceivable that Israel will sign any agreement that makes any significant concessions without such a clause.
The report, which first appeared on Israel Channel 2 News based on American and Israeli sources and was reported by The Times of Israel, stated that Abbas had given three unequivocal rejections to the U.S. president:
Specifically, the report said, Abbas rejected Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s demand that he recognize Israel as a
Jewish state. He also refused to abandon the Palestinian demand for a
“right of return” for millions of Palestinians and their descendants — a
demand that, if implemented, would drastically alter Israel’s
demographic balance and which no conceivable Israeli government would
accept. And finally, he refused to commit to an “end of conflict,” under
which a peace deal would represent the termination of any further
Palestinian demands of Israel.
Instead, Abbas stated that his goals in the negotiations were limited
to “working for a solution that is based on international legitimacy
and also the borders — the 1967 borders — so that the Palestinians can
have their own independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital and
so that we can find a fair and lasting solution to the refugee problem.”
...
Skeptics of Palestinian intentions have long turned to the first two
rejections — made consistently by Palestinian leaders over the years —
as proof that PA leaders had never negotiated in good faith, using the
talks as a ploy to legitimize later violence and bolstering the
international movement to delegitimize Israel. Yet with the third
rejection — No to an “end of conflict” clause — it becomes difficult to
understand what the point of talks was in the first place. By stating
from the outset that negotiations will not bring a termination of the
conflict, Palestinian leaders remove nearly all the incentive for
Israeli compromise. Indeed, the absence of an end-of-conflict clause is
widely seen as one of the main failings of the catastrophic 1993 Oslo
Accords.
Thanks Obama and Kerry. We know that you'll pressure Israel to sign anyway. What could go wrong?
'Palestinian' television: 'Let every person know that I do not compromise'
On May 14, the day before Israel's Independence Day, PA TV broadcast the following political statements as printed text on the TV screen:
"Let all of humanity know that I'm not an immigrant" "Let all religions know that I do not make truces" "Let every person know that I do not compromise" "Let all of humanity know that we are proud of [our] patriotism" "Let all the nations know that we are proud of [our] aspirations" "Let Palestine know that I am madly in love with it" "Let Jaffa (Israeli city) know that I will return to it" [PA TV (Fatah), May 14, 2012]
Evelyn Gordon describes the Machpeila Cave in Hebron as a microcosm of our conflict with the 'Palestinians.'
The Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron– one of the sites that UNESCO, at the PA’s request, recently declared exclusively Islamic – is a prime example. Under Israeli control, the tomb has been simultaneously an active synagogue and an active mosque for 44 years, a situation unparalleled anywhere else in the world. Most days of the year, it’s open to worshippers of both faiths; on a handful of Jewish and Muslim holy days, it’s open only to worshippers of the celebrating faith. At no point has Israel ever sought to make the site exclusively Jewish; it has willingly shared it with Palestinian Muslims.
Contrast that with the view of the Tomb expressedlast year by one of Hebron’s most prominent Muslim clerics: “It is a pure Muslim holy place and there is no right for non-Muslims to be here or to pray here, and I’m against the presence of the Jews, even in the old city,” Haj Zeid al Ja’bari, general director of Islamic Religious Authorities in Hebron, told reporters. No willingness to share there.
As a father of eight children (bli ayin hara - warding off evil eyes), this sounds familiar to me. When the kids are little, they constantly behave int he same manner as the 'Palestinians' behave. Fortunately for Mrs. Carl and me, most of the kids have already grown up at least enough to share their toys, and the others are on their way God willing. The 'Palestinians,' who started to come to this country around 100 years ago, are still not capable of sharing.
A lot of people on the Left are making a big deal about a survey (pdf link) that shows that more than 66% of the 'Palestinians' want to negotiate with Israel and nearly 74% prefer that the talks be direct. But here are the most important findings.
If Palestinian negotiators delivered a peace settlement that includes a Palestinian State but had to make compromises on key issues (right of return, Jerusalem, borders, settlements, etc.) to do so would you support the result? Yes 12.2% No 85.2% Don’t know 2.6%
With regard to the final status of Palestine and Israel please indicate which of the following you consider to be Essential, Desirable, Acceptable, Tolerable, or Unacceptable as part of a peace agreement.
Historic Palestine – From the Jordan River to the sea Essential 64.8% Desirable 18.3% Acceptable 8.8% Tolerable 4.5% Unacceptable 2.6% Don't know 1.0%
Nusseibeh: Let Obama propose a solution and the people vote on it
Sari Nusseibeh, who is the President of al-Quds University, is one of the few 'Palestinians' who might (emphasis on might) believe in a two-state solution, at least as a temporary measure. He has come up with a plan to force feed such a solution to us.
Al Quds University President Sari Nusseibeh, a longtime proponent of a two-state solution, says he recommended to President Barack Obama that the United States introduce a "vision" for a deal that would be put to a plebiscite vote for Israelis and an electoral vote for Palestinians. "So if the Israelis are asking for a two-state solution on such-and-such basis, they could say, 'Yes, if the Palestinians say yes,' and likewise in the other direction." He believes the populations on both sides would support a two-state plan presented by the United States, although he sees such a move--or any progress at all--as unlikely in the current climate. However, he adds, if there is no forward movement, Palestinians should press to be absorbed into Israel, where even if they do not have the right to vote, they would otherwise have full civil rights "so they could actually live freely, travel freely, work freely, have the rights that humans beings are entitled to have under any kind of system of democracy government."
That excerpt is actually a summary of a much longer interview with Nusseibeh that appears at the URL I linked above. Why won't this work? Let me count the ways....
1. Obama doesn't know enough about the region to propose a workable solution.
2. If what Obama proposes is enough to satisfy the 'Palestinians,' the Israelis will vote against. After four years of intifada and 8,000 rockets from Gaza, there are very few people here who would vote for anything close to what Ehud Barak offered Yasser Arafat in 2000 (which the 'Palestinians' turned down because it wasn't enough!). When Ehud Olmert made his offer to Abu Mazen in 2008, Abu Mazen should have taken it, because he will never see an offer like that again from Israel.
3. If what Obama proposes satisfies Israel (and probably even if it doesn't), the 'Palestinians' will vote against it. Survey after survey shows that it's not just the leadership that's unwilling to compromise - it's the 'Palestinian people.' Any solution with an end of conflict clause, with no 'right of return,' and with less than 100% of Judea, Samaria and 'east' Jerusalem going to the 'Palestinians' is not going to be enough. Perhaps the 'Palestinians' would have made some small territorial compromise two years ago. But since Obama decided to be more 'Palestinian' than the 'Palestinians' by insisting on a 'settlement freeze' in all of Judea, Samaria and 'east' Jerusalem, they're not going to compromise any more.
4. There is no way a fair election will be held in Gaza under Hamas rule.
5. As to the notion of granting the 'Palestinians' civil rights, any solution that allows them to travel freely without being searched is an invitation for another suicide bombing campaign. There is no way Israel can agree to that.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
