الرئيسية
Israel rejects Arab peace initiative
Arab leaders gathering in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday unanimously approved the “Arab Peace Plan” which offers Israel peace and normalization in return for putting an end to its 40-year-old military occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem as well as a just settlement of the refugee problem pursuant UN resolution 194.
The initiative has been praised by the bulk of the international community, including European states, Russia, UN and even some small sectors within Israel itself.
Saudi King Abdullah Ibn Abdul-Aziz, who last month brokered the Makkah Accord between Fatah and Hamas, which eventually led to the formation of the Palestinian national government, described the initiative as “sincere,” “historic” and “expressing the good-will of the Arabs.”
Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal pointed out that the ball was now in the Israeli court and that Arabs did all they could and all they should for peace.
“It is now up to Israel, if Israel rejects the Arab Peace Initiative, it means it is not interested in reaching a peaceful solution with its neighbors. If Israel refuses, that means it doesn’t want peace. Then the conflict goes back into the hands of the lords of war.”
Arab League Chief Amr Mousa spoke along the same lines, saying that Israel ought to accept the initiative in principle at least.
“We are at a crossroads, it is either we move towards a real peace or see an escalation in the situation.”
Notwithstanding, it is very likely that the Arab Peace Initiative will eventually face the same fate and same failure which numerous other peace initiatives have met since 1967, when the Israeli occupation began.
The reason for that is very simple. Israel, encouraged by nearly unlimited American backing, is simply unwilling to pay the price for genuine and durable peace with the Arab world, especially the Palestinians, namely a full withdrawal from the occupied territories and allowing Palestinian refugees uprooted from their ancestral homeland in 1948 to return home.
None the less, Israel is not going to say an absolute and clarion “NO” to the Arab initiative. Israel is smarter than appearing before the world as the perpetual nay-sayer. Instead, the Jewish government will probably praise the initiative as “a step in the right direction” and may even voice willingness to accept some components of the initiative.
However, such posturing on Israel’s part should be viewed by the international community as no more than public relations gimmickry.
Indeed, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livini have already said that Israel rejects completely the backbone of the Arab initiative, namely ending the occupation and settling the refugee plight in accordance with international law, which means that Israel wants to have the cake and eat it at the same time, to have peace and normalization with the Arabs but without giving up the stolen goods.
But it is also amply clear that neither the Palestinian people nor the Arab states will ever accept any peace arrangement with Israel not including the creation of a viable Palestinian state on 100% of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem and repatriation and indemnification of the refugees.
Unfortunately, Israel believes that it can reject peace with impunity, keeps up stealing Arab land with impunity and flies in the face of international law with impunity. Needless to say, the main reason for this arrogance and intransigence is the immense influence Israel’s lobbies and pressure groups exert on American politics and policies.
Israel feels, rather correctly, that the current Bush administration is not in a position to pressure Israel, apart from the futile trips to the region by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Earlier this week, Olmert almost ordered Rice, whom he met in West Jerusalem, to shut up and stop talking about “the final-status issues.”
Rice immediately complied, saying that “this is not the time to discuss the final status issues between Israel and the Palestinians.”
Rice didn’t say when, if ever, the time for discussing these fundamental issues will come. However, one wouldn’t be going too far by saying that the former Kremlinologist whose knowledge and expertise of the Middle East are quite superficial at best, think that only when the Palestinians capitulate to Israel’s Talmudic whims will the time be ripe for “peace” with Israel.
In light, it is probably safe to conclude that true peace in the region will remain a distant dream, probably more distant than many people think, which might mean that the Palestinians and Arabs ought to explore other alternatives to safeguard and protect their vital interests.
Arab leaders gathering in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday unanimously approved the “Arab Peace Plan” which offers Israel peace and normalization in return for putting an end to its 40-year-old military occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem as well as a just settlement of the refugee problem pursuant UN resolution 194.
The initiative has been praised by the bulk of the international community, including European states, Russia, UN and even some small sectors within Israel itself.
Saudi King Abdullah Ibn Abdul-Aziz, who last month brokered the Makkah Accord between Fatah and Hamas, which eventually led to the formation of the Palestinian national government, described the initiative as “sincere,” “historic” and “expressing the good-will of the Arabs.”
Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal pointed out that the ball was now in the Israeli court and that Arabs did all they could and all they should for peace.
“It is now up to Israel, if Israel rejects the Arab Peace Initiative, it means it is not interested in reaching a peaceful solution with its neighbors. If Israel refuses, that means it doesn’t want peace. Then the conflict goes back into the hands of the lords of war.”
Arab League Chief Amr Mousa spoke along the same lines, saying that Israel ought to accept the initiative in principle at least.
“We are at a crossroads, it is either we move towards a real peace or see an escalation in the situation.”
Notwithstanding, it is very likely that the Arab Peace Initiative will eventually face the same fate and same failure which numerous other peace initiatives have met since 1967, when the Israeli occupation began.
The reason for that is very simple. Israel, encouraged by nearly unlimited American backing, is simply unwilling to pay the price for genuine and durable peace with the Arab world, especially the Palestinians, namely a full withdrawal from the occupied territories and allowing Palestinian refugees uprooted from their ancestral homeland in 1948 to return home.
None the less, Israel is not going to say an absolute and clarion “NO” to the Arab initiative. Israel is smarter than appearing before the world as the perpetual nay-sayer. Instead, the Jewish government will probably praise the initiative as “a step in the right direction” and may even voice willingness to accept some components of the initiative.
However, such posturing on Israel’s part should be viewed by the international community as no more than public relations gimmickry.
Indeed, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livini have already said that Israel rejects completely the backbone of the Arab initiative, namely ending the occupation and settling the refugee plight in accordance with international law, which means that Israel wants to have the cake and eat it at the same time, to have peace and normalization with the Arabs but without giving up the stolen goods.
But it is also amply clear that neither the Palestinian people nor the Arab states will ever accept any peace arrangement with Israel not including the creation of a viable Palestinian state on 100% of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem and repatriation and indemnification of the refugees.
Unfortunately, Israel believes that it can reject peace with impunity, keeps up stealing Arab land with impunity and flies in the face of international law with impunity. Needless to say, the main reason for this arrogance and intransigence is the immense influence Israel’s lobbies and pressure groups exert on American politics and policies.
Israel feels, rather correctly, that the current Bush administration is not in a position to pressure Israel, apart from the futile trips to the region by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Earlier this week, Olmert almost ordered Rice, whom he met in West Jerusalem, to shut up and stop talking about “the final-status issues.”
Rice immediately complied, saying that “this is not the time to discuss the final status issues between Israel and the Palestinians.”
Rice didn’t say when, if ever, the time for discussing these fundamental issues will come. However, one wouldn’t be going too far by saying that the former Kremlinologist whose knowledge and expertise of the Middle East are quite superficial at best, think that only when the Palestinians capitulate to Israel’s Talmudic whims will the time be ripe for “peace” with Israel.
In light, it is probably safe to conclude that true peace in the region will remain a distant dream, probably more distant than many people think, which might mean that the Palestinians and Arabs ought to explore other alternatives to safeguard and protect their vital interests.