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Painful historic miss By Haaretz Editorial Tags: Israel, Barak, Olmert At the dusk of his term, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is offering Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas a "shelf agreement" on borders, refugees and security arrangements. In keeping with the principles of the Annapolis summit, the proposal will serve as the foundation for the establishment of a Palestinian state, when conditions permit. Olmert believes the agreement is within reach and that it would improve Israel's international standing. It would also allow him to leave behind a foreign affairs legacy, rather than be remembered as the prime minister who had to step down as a criminal suspect. Olmert's offer - Israel's annexation of West Bank settlement blocs in exchange for land in the Negev; a passageway between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip; the demilitarization of the Palestinian state and the settlement of a majority of the refugees within its borders - is almost an exact replica of the ideas discussed eight years ago, at the end of the Barak and Clinton administrations. This similarity can be seen as an expression of a painful, historic missed opportunity. After all the deaths and bloodshed, the parties are returning to the exact same place and facing the same difficulties in coming to a decision. There are a few important differences, however, between the summer of 2000 and the summer of 2008. Olmert tried to learn from Barak's bitter experience and adapted his offer to the political capacity of his coalition. Under pressure from Shas, Olmert decided to put off the discussion on Jerusalem. This left Shas in the coalition and him in the Prime Minister's Office, but it came at a price of complicating negotiations. If and when the issue of Jerusalem does come up for discussion, the parties will not have bargaining chips in other areas, and that will make a solution more difficult to attain. Advertisement On the Palestinian side, the negotiations are being conducted by a weak leader who lacks the power and authority of his predecessor, Yasser Arafat. This reduces Abbas' freedom to act and ability to be flexible. The situation on the ground is also more complicated: Hamas is in control of the Gaza Strip while Israel built a separation barrier in the West Bank, creating a precedent for determining the border. As a result, any agreement will look like an academic exercise, and one can expect that Olmert's successors will want to reopen it for discussion. Olmert's proposal is commendable as a basis for negotiations, even if the details are unacceptable to the Palestinians, who seek a much smaller land swap. The problem is that like Barak, Olmert has reached the critical moment too late in his term, after losing his political and public support and deciding to resign. Ostensibly he can now make decisions without regard for the domestic scene, but this is an illusion. To reach an agreement that is subject to public controversy or even a "shelf agreement" whose implementation would be postponed, it is necessary to have leadership that can sell the arrangement to the public. Olmert does not have that authority today. The lesson to be learned is that in foreign affairs, any delay is negative and waiting only increases the likelihood that the negotiations will fail. Too much time was wasted before the formula for renewing the negotiations was found and a framework for the talks agreed upon. Even if it is too late now to reach an agreement, Olmert's successors would do well to learn from his experience and advance the peace process as soon as they take office - not when they are about to leave it. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Safe haven reached 200 fleeing Georgia after the outbreak of hostilities arrive at Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport. Man dies of 'broken heart' Severely disabled man dies of a heart attack after his long-term girlfriend was arrested by Immigration Police.

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