Direct talks between Palestinians and Israelis are scheduled to commence in Washington on September 2, a decade after the last real final-status talks, and nearly two years after the last direct talks. Mahmoud Abbas and Benjamin Netanyahu will come face to face for dinner and talks in Washington as guests of President Obama after 18 months of shuttle diplomacy and indirect "proximity talks" headed by Special Envoy for Middle East Peace George Mitchell.
President Mubarak of Egypt and King Abdullah of Jordan, along with Tony Blair, the special representative of the Middle East Quartet are also due to join the inaugural session in Washington.
While much hope has been placed on these talks culminating in an agreement within a year, most Palestinians and Israelis remain skeptical of their success. More importantly, hopes and expectations have been inflated in some media reports, adding confusion and creating myths about what might turn up only to be yet another photo op in DC.
Here are some of the myths:
Myth No. 1- They're not talking
Although Abbas and Netanyahu have not sat face to face for the past eighteen months, contacts and cooperation between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government have not ceased on several fronts, most notably in commerce and security.
Salam Fayyad, Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority, spoke at the Herzliya Conference in February alongside Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak at a time when his boss, President Mahmoud Abbas, was insisting on a total halt to settlement construction before peace talks could resume. Also, Shin Bet and Israel Defense Forces senior officials have made several visits to Ramallah for meetings with senior PA officials and members of the Palestinian security services. According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Shin Bet security service head Yuval Diskin recently spent a day in the West Bank city of Jenin as a guest of the Palestinian Authority's security service.
This is Diskin's second visit of this kind to Palestinian Authority territory in recent months, the aim of which is to coordinate security ties between Israel and the PA. The first visit was to Ramallah.
Myth No. 2- Settlement Freeze
Settlement construction is "business as usual" in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Although a few projects were pushed back, construction on existing projects continues unabated. Close to half a million Israeli Jews live in more than 100 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. More importantly, settlers have accelerated their activities taking over Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem, in Arab neighborhoods in Sheikh Jarrah, Shu'fat, and Silwan. Furthermore, in 2010, more than 240 Palestinian homes have been destroyed in Area C of the West Bank, compared to 182 in all of 2009.
Myth No. 3- Security Fears
Israel's concern over security in the West Bank is exaggerated. Today the Palestinian Authority is policing the West Bank on behalf of the IDF. Very few Israeli deaths, only two in 2010, have been registered due to attacks in the West Bank. In comparison, far more Palestinians have been killed and injured by settlers and the IDF in 2010. Rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip have also subsided. Israel's main security concern these days is Iran.
"The threat that Iran poses is very grave for the state of Israel, for peace in the Middle East and the whole world," Netanyahu said in November 2009, repeating variations on this statement on several occasions.
Myth No. 4- Abbas & Netanyahu can deliver peace
Neither Prime Minister Netanyahu nor President Abbas have the mandate to deliver a peace agreement. Netanyahu would face strident opposition from within his Likud party and fierce opposition from his own foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman who has the ability and influence to unravel his fragile coalition.
Abbas also faces a complex problem of legitimacy. His term as President has expired, and under his watch, Palestinian unity was fractured when Hamas managed to rout his forces in Gaza.
Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said recently that Abbas was too weak to stand up to Israel and negotiate a just deal at the talks in Washington.
"If the talks succeed they will succeed to Israeli standards and liquidate the Palestinian cause. They'll give us parts of 1967 lands. They'll draw the borders as they want and they'll confiscate our sovereignty," said Meshaal
Myth No. 5- No preconditions
Prime Minister Netanyahu insisted for many weeks that he was ready to come to the negotiating table in Washington, but without "preconditions." In fact both he and President Mahmoud Abbas have already announced preconditions, raising expectations and laying the groundwork for failure.
Among the preconditions laid out by Netanyahu for peace with the Palestinians is recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. Palestinians consider this condition as a non-starter, instead they'd like to delve into sensitive areas such as the construction of Jewish settlements on occupied territory, the status of Jerusalem, the borders of a future Palestinian state and the right of return, issues that will be difficult to overcome.
Meanwhile, Mahmoud Abbas has declared that he will withdraw from negotiations if settlement activity resumes. The settlement moratorium is due to expire on Sept. 26. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, seems unlikely to extend it.
Follow Jamal Dajani on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jamaldajani
James Zogby: Trying to Be Hopeful About Peace
1. “They’re not talking”. Mr. Dajani should read “they’re not negotiating a peace agreement”. Apologies to Mr. Dajani on behalf of whoever said "they're not talking", for not spelling things out and leaving so much room for hair-splitting!
2. “Settlement freeze”. Again, Mr. Dajani "misunderstands" the terms. Netanyahu made it clear from the beginning that construction UNDERWAY will continue and that the “freeze” on NEW construction will not include East Jerusalem. Mr. Dajani might not like this; but that’s all that was ever promised.
3. “Security fears”. Not sure what Mr. Dajani wants to say by “[v]ery few Israeli deaths, only two in 2010”. I would have thought that a peace agreement might help bring the number of Israeli and Palestinian deaths to zero. But I guess Mr. Dajani believes that with such low death rates peace is no longer necessary.
4. “Neither Prime Minister Netanyahu nor President Abbas have the mandate to deliver a peace agreement”. Netanyahu is Israel’s democratically elected leader. He certainly has the mandate. As for Abbas, while his term has expired, the overwhelming majority of the civilized world acknowledges him (and not Hamas) as the legitimate Palestinian leader.
5. “No preconditions”. While Netanyahu certainly calls for Palestinian recognition of Israel as the Jewish state (and rightly so), he never said that he will not negotiate until such recognition is achieved. How is this a “precondition”?
2. That's what Mr. Dajani says, "business as usual"
3. you're putting words in Mr. Dajani's mouth. He wrote Iran is Israel's major security concern and not attacks from Palestinians
4. Netanyahu's coalition is fragile and withdrawal by either Beituna or Shas can collapse it. Abbas might be recognized by "majority of civilized world" but is he accepted by majority of Palestinians?
5. Actually this is not the only precondition that Netanyahu has stated in the past few weeks. But to understand Netanyahu's logic one must watch this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6KLFrye9Xk
http://www.haaretz.com/news/nearly-300-congress-members-declare-commitment-to-unbreakable-u-s-israel-bond-1.266652”
We need to give guns to Palestine and let them take back the land. Hezbollah kick Israel out of Lebanon and it is all Israel understands.
The possible reasons are legion.
As long as Abbas is continuing to falsely represent Palestine it will be the same illegitimate game - if this puppet had a shred of honor (which he doesn't) he would have fled Palestine years ago. He is so much part of the problem that I don't even know how he has literally survived this long
When will Israel stop delegitimizing Palestine with Abbas? - ha - whan an enormous congame
Abbas is wasting critical time and the historical moment and needs to be overthrown - hopefully that can be arranged in 20 minutes of the meeting after these 'talks' first start Sept 2nd and Israel tells us she is refusing to stop her ongoing WB/EJ illegal construction projects
My favorite overthrow will be when we toss the Neocons and Israel Lobby off the bus - I'm not holding my breath but am working hard to do just that.
First of all though is strikingn at the heart of the beast and regime-changing the criminal Israeli regime and ending their 21st century ethnic cleansing by BDSing her until she howls like South Africa.
My favorite story of the morning is the Israeli actors boycotting working in the illegal Israeli paramilitary encampments Israel likes to call 'settlements'. Israel will be lucky to escape into One State without a civil war with her own illegal ethnic cleansers she calls 'settlers' - those fanatics aren't going down without a fight
Cheers!
Naftali Bennett, Netanyahu's former chief of staff and the recently named director-general of the settler advocacy group the Yesha Council, spoke to the Los Angeles Times about what he thinks his old boss will do and the challenges facing the settler movement.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-israel-settlement-qa-20100829,0,1354446.story
You are pathetic in your attempts to defend Israel's criminal actions.
Now, notice that Dajani provides no source for his claim that Netanyahu even has preconditions. I turned to Google, and found this YnetNews article posted August 25th in which Netanyahu confirms he has no preconditions, and this Jordan Times article that makes the trademark anti-Zionist argument that dedication to final status issues (like "no right of return") is somehow a precondition. So Mr. Dajani, if you have proof that Netanyahu has preconditions, as in, things the Palestinians have to do before Israel will negotiate with them, let's see it.
Just another article on the I/P peace process that is short on facts and long on unsubstantiated claims.
Which it is. The two-year-old lobbying organization, complete with an online and grassroots network and a political action committee, is making headlines by aggressively campaigning for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict—even when that means brazenly criticizing Israel on matters like West Bank settlements and military action in Gaza. Despite J Street’s relatively small size, it has roiled the waters of American Israel advocacy, perhaps causing ripples for even the AIPAC super-tanker. And while this has endeared Ben-Ami to many left and centrist Jews who have looked askance at the Israel advocacy business, it has also rendered him a seemingly dangerous unknown in some powerful circles.
The media is abuzz about J Street and its potential impact, but anyone expecting to meet the wild-eyed fanatic behind this taboo-busting organization may be surprised by Ben-Ami himself.
http://www.momentmag.com/Exclusive/currentyear/currentedition/Ben-Ami.html
Add to this his boasting about his success in sinking Oslo and it's probably just as well that all this chatter ends September 26th.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/5535664/Benjamin-Netanyahu-full-speech-on-Palestinian-state.html
"Hamas ready for peaceful coexistence with Israel within the borders of 1967. Interview with Hamas-Leader Khaled Meshaal"
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=4192
"Why should anyone concede Israel's "right" to exist, when it has never even acknowledged the foundational crimes of murder and ethnic cleansing by means of which Israel took our towns and villages, our farms and orchards, and made us a nation of refugees?
Why should any Palestinian "recognize" the monstrous crime carried out by Israel's founders and continued by its deformed modern apartheid state, while he or she lives 10 to a room in a cinderblock, tin-roof United Nations hut? These are not abstract questions, and it is not rejectionist simply because we have refused to abandon the victims of 1948 and their descendants."
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-marzook10jul10,1,6983951.story
....to a conciliatory one in 2010
"Hamas has accepted Israel's right to exist and would be prepared to nullify its charter, which calls for the destruction of Israel, Aziz Dwaik, Hamas's most senior representative in the West Bank, said on Wednesday."
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=166275
There is simply no rationale for continuing the farce of negotiating with Fatah which holds 45 seats in the Palestinian Legislative Assembly to Change and Reform's (Hamas') 75.
When is Israel going to recognize a viable Palestinian state..should also be a question...
time for AIAPC to move over for JStreet.
It's hard to imagine three more useless additions to this charade.
Guess how the request was met.
Back on topic - weak players.
"As I recall that discussion, it was less to do with specifics about what we were going to do on Iraq or, indeed, the Middle East, because the Israel issue was a big, big issue at the time. I think, in fact, I remember, actually, there may have been conversations that we had even with Israelis, the two of us, whilst we were there. So that was a major part of all this."
He is not their legitimate leader
Why is Obama there?
He is not a legitimate mediator