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Still on the table, for now By Akiva Eldar The Saudi peace initiative is one of those historic events in which timing is more important than substance. The first pan-Arab proposal for full normalization with Israel was adopted on Passover 2002 - the day of the seder-night bombing at Netanya's Park Hotel, which killed 30 Israelis. The atrocity, and Israel's subsequent invasion of the West Bank, left no room for news from an Arab League summit in Beirut. And with Israel having just returned to West Bank cities it had earlier quit, an Arab plan to return Israel to the 1967 borders seemed irrelevant. Every spring for the next six years, the Arab League reaffirmed this peace plan, the first it ever produced, but it remained on the back burner. Now, three things have suddenly brought it to center stage: Barack Obama's election as the next American president, the likelihood of Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu becoming Israel's next prime minister in February, and fear that Mahmoud Abbas' already shaky rule in the Palestinian Authority will collapse. And since Obama will be sworn in 20 days before Israel's election, he might be able to influence the outcome by publicly supporting the Saudi peace plan: Anyone who voted for Netanyahu would then know he was defying Obama. Advertisement At a meeting with her Egyptian and Jordanian counterparts last July, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni termed the Saudi initiative "a historic opportunity that must not be missed." Officially, however, the Kadima-Labor government never responded to the plan. Even President Shimon Peres, who has recently spoken in its favor, showed no interest in it when he sat in the cabinet. Five years ago, then-Jordanian foreign minister Marwan Muasher told me he was disappointed by the Israeli peace camp's apathy toward the plan. He could not understand such apathy toward a proposal that requires an "agreed" solution to the refugee problem - wording that, according to Middle East expert Dr. Matti Steinberg, effectively gives Israel a veto on this issue. The significance of this term was also evident from the furious response of Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The latter's chairman, Ramadan Shalah, told a conference in Damascus in January that the Saudi initiative was even worse than the 1917 Balfour Declaration, which laid the foundations for the Jewish state. The Arab League's 22 members, like the 35 other Muslim countries that have adopted the plan, do not expect Israel to announce that it is leaving the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights tomorrow. Interviewed in Brussels two weeks ago, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa explained that after accepting the plan's principles, Israel would have to conduct bilateral negotiations with its neighbors to determine precise borders (territorial exchanges are possible) and security arrangements. But if Israel prefers to keep building settlements, he warned, the Saudi initiative will be taken off the table and replaced by another idea that has gained momentum recently: a single binational state. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Mikaeel Jackson Report: Pop star Michael Jackson converts to Islam. Peace now Abbas calls on Obama to enact Arab peace plan as soon as he takes office.

Read & React 20,000 Jewish pilgrims to descend on Hebron amid settler violence Responses: 222 Experts argue: How close is Iran to its first nuclear weapon? Responses: 135 Video: Prof. Avi Shlaim says settlements turn Israel into Apartheid state Responses: 181 Debate over Museum of Tolerance - an exchange Responses: 23 PLO official Yasser Abed Rabbo: The Palestinian people need Obama's help Responses: 76 Gideon Levy: Israeli left was born in sin and died because of a lie Responses: 91 More Headlines 21:39 Settler teens attack Border police in Hebron 21:55 Qassams strike western Negev in latest threat to fragile truce 00:20 Obama's Mideast peace platform is coming into focus 15:00 Abbas calls on Obama to enact Arab peace plan as soon as he takes office 22:13 Top Israeli diplomats in Turkey kicked out of Istanbul university 22:49 Hollywood in Netanya: Ben Stiller and Chris Rock in coastal city for 'Madagascar 2' premiere 00:22 Hezbollah: 'Zionist Lobby' behind Germany's decision to ban Al-Manar TV station 10:08 Iran executes man convicted of spying for Israel 23:00 Visiting Argentine president offers Libya help with nuclear power 13:11 Your land is my land 20:47 Report: Pop star Michael Jackson converts to Islam 19:59 Peru police nab Israeli for plotting to smuggle a half a ton of cocaine to Europe 13:10 Report: Hezbollah carries out military drills in south Lebanon 16:10 Syria: No more UN visits to alleged nuclear site Previous Editions Select Day 21 nov 20 nov 19 nov 18 nov 17 nov 16 nov 14 nov 13 nov 12 nov 11 nov 10 nov 09 nov

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