| This has nothing to do with a fruitful or logical negotiation, but with a weak, inept, unpopular government struggling to cling to power. Whether business or politics, the big shots agree first amongst themselves on the most critical issues (usually on the golf course), and then assign underlings from both sides to hammer out the details and lesser issues. Idiotic to try it the other way around. The sensible (and patriotic) thing to do is to go ahead, start talks on J`lem and provoke Shas to leave, suffer a vote of no-confidence, and have a stronger succeeding government make compromises and implement them. The same might happen to Abbas when he admits to his people that the Intifada failed to "sweeten" the deal Arafat was offered, that Abu Dis is the PA capital, that the Clinton "deal" is no longer available, either (e.g., the "sovereign safe passage" to Gaza is now off the table for the obvious reasons). The current weak regimes are totally incapable of sealing a real peace deal. |
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