Image Credit: Mohammed Omer - Rafah Today 2007-09-14.
Process Torpedoed by Olmert Government Threat of Collective Punishment for Gaza on Eve of Rice Visit to the Region
BBSNews 2007-09-20 -- Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas was the only one who scored a minor victory during a recent trip to boost upcoming peace talks in the region by US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, with Rice at his side, Abu Mazen put final status issues firmly on the table as the starting point for what Rice terms as "substantive" talks set for October.
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Palestinian refugee schoolgirls walking inside UNRWA run school in Gaza City.
Image Credit: Mohammed Omer - Rafah Today 2007-09-14. |
Haaretz focused on the notion that the summit will be about nothing more than a "document" as has Rice, and they reported about the recent visit:
"The secretary of state did not address any of the disagreements between the parties on the nature of the document being negotiated. The PA is asking for an agreement of principles that would outline solutions on core final-status issues, while Israel is only interested in a joint declaration."What kind of document comes out of these discussions is something they will have to work out," said Rice, adding that she hoped it would lead to "serious negotiations for the establishment of a Palestinian state as soon as possible."
However, The New York Times found the true nugget of reality interjected by Abbas with Secretary Rice at his side:
"Mr. Abbas called for discussions on 'borders, Jerusalem, refugees, settlements, water and security.' With Ms. Rice, her demeanor bland, standing next to him in a cavernous room in Yasir Arafat's old Muqata compound, Mr. Abbas said, 'We believe that the time is ripe for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and for living side by side in security and tranquillity with the State of Israel.'He chided American officials for being too ambiguous, and explained that part of the reason that Arab countries had not rushed to endorse the conference — with the United States expected to be host at a site yet to be determined — was because no one had promised in plain English that the conference would tackle final status issues. 'I believe there is a need for clarification,' he said. 'That's the duty of the inviting party to the conference.'"
The Arab Peace Initiative 2002-2007
In May, Fuad Siniora, prime minister of Lebanon, wrote in an opinion editorial for the New York Times in May that the single most important objective in the region is a solution to the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict and endorsed the Arab Peace Initiative as the way forward:
"The only way for the people of Israel and the Arab world to achieve stability and security is through a comprehensive peace settlement to the overarching Arab-Israeli conflict.It is in this vein that participants in the March Arab League summit in Riyadh called again for a peace proposal originally put forward at a similar gathering in Beirut in 2002. The Arab Peace Initiative, as it is called, was introduced by Saudi Arabia and endorsed by all the Arab countries. It offers Israel full recognition by the 22 members of the Arab League in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal to its pre-1967 borders, thus allowing the Palestinians to create a viable independent state on what is only 22 percent of historic Palestine.
This is a high price but one the Arabs are willing to pay, as it is the only realistic path to peace that conforms to all United Nations Security Council and General Assembly resolutions addressing the conflict, and ensures the right of return of the Palestinian people. The Arab states are not seeking to wipe Israel off the map. Rather, we are seeking the legitimate goals of an armistice, secure borders and the ability of all of the region’s people to live in peace and security."
As we wrote in February, when Condoleeza Rice first started trying to revive the stalled "road map" and was instead confronted with reality on the ground in terms of the proffered Arab Peace Initiative:
The critical points for peace have been spelled out for decades in accordance with UN Resolutions 194, 242 and 338:
The United States has sought this very kind of consensus in the Arab world for decades. Indeed, in March State Department spokesman Sean McCormack noted "the initiative is 'an effort to reach out, to be constructive on an issue of interest to all the countries of the region, and we are encouraged by this development and we certainly welcome it.'" A way for Israel to comply with UN Resolutions while at the same time getting the Arab world to accept the right of Israel to exist with "stability and security" and the Arab Peace Initiative does just that.
Mahmoud Abbas, as disjointed as his government is with Hamas in charge of Gaza while he cools his heels in the West Bank, has a right to expect a credible partner in negotiations and determine what his partner is offering. Abbas and the Arab world has put forth an initiative strongly grounded in UN Resolutions and international obligations, and with all due respect to Madame Secretary, instead of the Palestinians being expected to "move the ball forward", rather the "ball" is firmly in both the United States and Israels court.
The Arab world is calling for final status issues to be firmly on the table in plain language and view for the world to see. It is time for Israel and the United States to spell out what it considers acceptable in the Arab Peace Initiative, and what is not acceptable, in plain sight for the public to also see, hear and evaluate.
In this way the United State and Israel will get more participation by the Arab world where a real and viable solution only may finally be achieved.
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