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Enough already By Akiva Eldar Tags: Akiva Eldar  Benjamin Netanyahu couldn't have expected a better result. The right-wing leader both used Moshe Feiglin to depict himself as a moderate statesman and erased him from the Likud ticket. This brilliant move paves Netanyahu's way to the center - the object of desire for every Israeli politician striving for power. The large bloc of seats in the center likes to see its prime minister in the White House and, if possible, the Elysee Palace, as well as maintaining contact with Cairo and Amman, and most important, constantly talking about peace and promising at least once a month to evacuate the outposts and freeze settlement construction. After discovering that the vision of an economic peace doesn't deliver the goods for the center, Netanyahu remembered the good old peace process. He's going from newspaper to television station, from European envoy to Arab diplomat, smoothing feathers by saying he will continue negotiating with the Palestinians over a final-status agreement and will even give that preference over talks with Syria. That tactic didn't work too badly 12 years ago, so why shouldn't it work today? On the eve of Netanyahu's victory in the 1996 election, he publicly promised, "the Likud government will recognize the facts created as a result of the Oslo Accords and will conduct negotiations to reach a final-status agreement of peace with the Palestinians." Advertisement What happened next is well-known; although Netanyahu prided himself on a dramatic decrease in the number of terror attacks during his term, he used Palestinian terrorism as an excuse for his refusal to negotiate a final-status agreement after talks officially began in the spring of 1996. Today he can bet that the Qassams will do the same job. But maybe, despite it all, Bibi has matured and changed? Perhaps, as a Zionist patriot, he is paying attention to the ticking of the demographic clock? Maybe he's aware of the upsurge in Palestinian voices calling for a binational state and abandonment of the failed attempt to reach a two-state solution. And it's possible that, as someone who was burned by friction with a white American president who doesn't believe in enlightened occupation, Netanyahu will be careful not to anger a black president who knows something about discrimination. A formal answer can be found on the Likud chairman's Web site, www.netanyahu.org.il, in the National Security category under the link for "The Issues." The English-language side of the Web site states: "The present peace talks at Annapolis focusing on a hasty final settlement miss the point entirely. We do not believe that the Palestinians are ready for any historical compromise that would truly put an end to the conflict. There is no evidence that the Palestinians are prepared to accept even the least of any [of] Israel's demands proposed by any of its leaders." The official Netanyahu suggests focusing on improving Palestinians' daily lives and even halting assistance to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad - in other words, pulling the rug out from under the feet of the pragmatic Palestinian camp and extending the conflict over many years instead of resolving it as soon as possible. A similar, almost identical, approach can be found in several articles and lectures by former Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Moshe Ya'alon, whom Netanyahu personally brought into Likud's inner circle. "Dealing with the final-status agreement issues allows the Palestinians to evade their responsibility for failure; exempts them from dealing with internal reforms, without which there is no chance of changing the situation; and places the burden on Israel," Ya'alon wrote in an article that appears on Netanyahu's Hebrew-language blog. And in an article in the English version of the latest issue of the quarterly journal Azure: Ideas for the Jewish Nation, which is published by the Shalem Center think tank, Ya'alon writes, "The present diplomatic path, which forces Israel to make far-reaching concessions and take genuine risks in return for empty Palestinian declarations, is headed for war, not peace." He recommends that both sides get off the "peace train" and board the one on the right track - the one that leads to an economic peace that provides security, while perpetuating the occupation and the settlements. Hamas calls this a "hudna" or a "tahadiyeh," and relies on Israel to continue peace talks until every Palestinian stops believing in peace. Voters who have not given up on the hope of ending the occupation and achieving normalized relations with all Arab countries don't have to make do with Netanyahu's vague promise of "continuing negotiations." Kadima chairwoman Tzipi Livni has not met her obligation either, issuing only clues that hide more than they reveal. She should address the large gap between her and Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qureia after a full year of talks at various levels. It also wouldn't hurt Labor leader Ehud Barak to reveal whether he's given up the "no partner" doctrine, and if so, what he is offering the neighbors. The positions of the Palestinian leaders on the core issues are well-known. Israeli voters deserve to know the positions of their leaders on borders, settlements, the division of Jerusalem and the refugee problem. Enough with negotiations-shmegotiations. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Holocaust remembrance Host of UN Holocaust memorial skips event after U.S. Jews threaten walk-out. Obama on Arab TV WATCH: In interview with Al-Arabiya Obama urges Palestinians, Israel to talk.   1.   Enough Already With Eldar`s Intellectual Fraud 03:12  |  Tod Zuckerman 15/12/08   2.   Peace Needs To Be Inposed on Us 04:06  |  MB 15/12/08   3.   to MB #2 13:01  |  zeev 15/12/08   4.   enough lies. Left-wing solution for the problem is a fraud. 15:18  |  no name 15/12/08   5.   imposed? 17:09  |  David 15/12/08   6.   #4 17:37  |  A.M. 15/12/08   7.   we fought against the mandate which imposed solutions onto us 19:59  |  zionist forever 15/12/08   8.   We`re increasingly "occupying" our small nation. 21:41  |  Chaim 15/12/08   9.   Critic without ideas... 03:39  |  Harry 16/12/08

Read & React IAF strikes Hamas tunnels in response to Gaza border blast Responses: 47 Editorial: Obama must let Israeli voters know he won't allow settlement building Responses: 19 Iran arms ship released by U.S. Navy now 'sailing to Syria' Responses: 51 Eyal Benvenisti: Independent probe of alleged Gaza war crimes needed now Responses: 11 Hamas captives tell Shin Bet: We used Gaza mosques to hide arms, for training Responses: 27 More Headlines 14:06 Israel expels Venezuela embassy staff, cuts ties with Caracas 14:07 Obama envoy tells Mubarak: Extending Gaza truce is 'critical' 14:33 Rightists in Israel predict dismal fate for Obama envoy's efforts 10:48 Gaza rocket hits Negev; IAF strikes Hamas tunnels after soldier killed 10:05 Top UN official blasts Hamas for 'cynical' use of civilian facilities 09:43 ANALYSIS / Border blast demands strong - but not excessive - Israeli response 13:19 Pope reaffirms 'solidarity' with Jews amid row over bishop who denied Holocaust 13:55 Report: IDF probing racist graffiti left by soldiers in Gaza 12:15 Hamas captives tell Shin Bet: We used Gaza mosques to hide arms, for training 12:15 Who puts up a mezuzah in space? A Jewish astronaut 10:46 Iran arms ship released by U.S. Navy now 'sailing to Syria' 13:41 Palestinians back to work on tunnels after IAF bombing 11:30 Ahmadinejad: Obama must apologize to Iran if he really wants change 13:04 IDF censures officer for distributing incendiary religious pamphlets to troops 10:57 Peace Now: Israel settlement building accelerated in 2008 10:20 Top IDF reserve officer: Israel passed up 'historic opportunity' in Gaza 07:29 For some young visitors, Holocaust exhibit on righteous Muslims calls up thoughts of Gaza 01:44 Family keeps name private of IDF tracker slain on Gaza border 00:38 Europe suggests joint PA and Israel transport office Previous Editions Select Day 27 jan 26 jan 25 jan 23 jan 22 jan 21 jan 20 jan 19 jan 18 jan 16 jan 15 jan 14 jan

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