Subscribe to Print Edition | Tue., October 28, 2008 Tishrei 29, 5769 | | Israel Time: 02:41 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Peres Center Travel Week's End Anglo File

The battle for peace is still on By Akiva Eldar Advertisement According to the initiative, in exchange for normal relations with the 22 members of the Arab League, Israel must withdraw from all the territories occupied in 1967, support the establishment of a Palestinian state with (East) Jerusalem as its capital, and agree to a just solution of the refugee problem on the basis of UN General Assembly Resolution 194. Almost a year has passed since Livni began negotiations with Ahmed Qureia (Abu Ala). To date the foreign minister has not achieved significant progress toward understandings on any of the issues. She has not presented a map delineating borders, has declared that no refugee will be allowed to return to Israel, and has avoided serious discussion of Jerusalem. As far as is known, she was ready to promise Shas chairman Eli Yishai that her government would not offer the Palestinians any concessions in the Old City. She also rejected the demand of Meretz to mention the Arab peace initiative among the government's basic guidelines. In the coming elections Livni will be the one to raise the banner of the struggle over the Jewish and democratic nature of Israel, and entrenching its status in the world and in the region. If Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz and his supporters do not pull her toward the right, she will try to turn the peace process into Kadima's spearhead in the election campaign. To that end, it will not be enough to flaunt her refusal to surrender to the "political blackmail" of Shas. The candidate of the ruling party for the premiership will have to reveal to the electorate the positions she presented in negotiations with the Palestinians. Because the positions of the Palestinians and of the Arab League have barely changed during the past year, it will not be difficult for people to find the differences. And where is the Labor Party, the one that paved the way for dialogue with the Palestinians and eight years ago began the negotiations over the final status agreement? If the defense minister is afraid to present his own peace initiative, why doesn't he evacuate several mega-outposts and stop the construction in the settlements entirely? But instead of demanding that Livni give an accounting of her achievements in the negotiations with the Palestinians, Ehud Barak last week repeated the mantra that Abu Mazen is not ready for a peace agreement. It turns out that in the draft of his coalition agreement with Livni, there was no mention of the Annapolis process, of evacuating outposts or of freezing settlements. The time has come for someone to tell him that Benjamin Netanyahu has won the battle over the declaration that "there is no partner," but the battle for peace is still on. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Livni ahead in polls Netanyahu loses lead he has held for two years, while Labor heads for election debacle. The frozen chosen In staunchly Republican Alaska, a Jewish Democrat may take state's lone seat in Congress.   1.   Peace Only Comes With Defeating Terror- Totally 11:12  |  Yishai Kohen 27/10/08   2.   "A formal commitment made by the prime minister..." 13:44  |  sandra chitayat 27/10/08   3.   You can always hope 15:32  |  Sam 27/10/08   4.   I hated the notion "peace isn`t possible now" 16:24  |  Fortuna Benmayor 27/10/08   5.   Israel is going down without a peace plan 19:04  |  Dutch 27/10/08   6.   What are we reaching for 19:18  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 27/10/08   7.   Eldar is a radical lefttist who opposed killing Yassin n Rantisi 20:30  |  Ken Jurist 27/10/08   8.   Margie 21:20  |  danite 27/10/08   9.   Israel can only lose from a "peace treaty" with "Palestinians". 21:22  |  Chaim 27/10/08   10.   Ken Jurist is a wingnut who knows not... 21:36  |  BBSNews 27/10/08   11.   Not much interest shown in making peace 22:55  |  Labhras 27/10/08   12.   Labhras-You+Pals are defining peace as what you want it to be 23:35  |  Sam 27/10/08   13.   More Leftist self-delusion 02:34  |  Frank 28/10/08

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