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Last update - 21:50 16/06/2009
Israel has lost its shot at the Arab peace initiative
By Zvi Bar'el
Tags: Israel News, Mideast Peace 

The harbinger of Arab reaction to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech was Saeb Erekat, head of negotiations with Israel for the Palestinian Authority. Speaking on Al Jazeera TV Sunday night, he enumerated the faults of Netanyahu's speech. Without a mention of an acceptable Israel position on Jerusalem, refugees, water or a settlement freeze, the editors of the important newspapers in the Middle East could not help but adopt the Palestinian line and attack Netanyahu's address. "No one in Egypt or anywhere else can accept Netanyahu's demand to recognize Israel as the state of the Jews," Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak too said in a loud voice that reverberated from the Middle East to Washington. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said as much to President Obama in May. Their position is that recognition would harm not only Israeli Arabs, but mean an end to the Palestinian right of return.

That is an issue over which Jordan is particularly concerned. A solution to the refugee problem outside of Israel and Israel being defined as a Jewish state means "an intention to exile 1.5 million Palestinians beyond the Green Line," an editorial in the Jordanian daily Al-Arab Al-Yawm said, a step that might come at the expense of Jordan. Jordanian newspapers were directed to pull out all the stops. "Netanyahu presented his credentials officially as an extreme terrorist, an enemy of peace, steeped in the policy of occupation .... this is an Israeli plan to perpetuate the struggle with the Palestinians and the Arabs and not to make peace in any form," Al-Arab Al-Yawm also wrote. Other Jordanian papers were not far behind: "Netanyahu sold damaged goods that no one will buy," Al Rai wrote.

Syria and the Gulf States toed the Jordanian-Palestinian-Egyptian line. No one in the Middle East was impressed that Netanyahu had uttered the words "Palestinian state." It seems to the Arabs that Israel has taken on the role of the Arab League conference that coined the the "three nos" in 1967 with respect to Israel, and that Israel has lost the Arab peace initiative.
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      1.   Arab Peace Initiative?? 04:01  |  Aussie Michael 16/06/09
      2.   no peace 04:02  |  israel1752 16/06/09
      3.   Erekat 05:31  |  Jeff Northridge 16/06/09
      4.   So, the Arabs never had any intention to negotiate? 05:41  |  Doug 16/06/09
      5.   They thought Israel was really going to take millions in! 06:18  |  McQueen 16/06/09
      6.   So What is it the Arabs are Giving Up, Again? 06:25  |  Harold 16/06/09
      7.   no historic right ... 06:34  |  david 16/06/09
      8.   Jews/palastenians vs Native americans/ immigrants 06:35  |  Sam 16/06/09
      9.   no historic right ... 06:38  |  david 16/06/09
      10.   "Orphaning"? 06:44  |  Mark Lincoln 16/06/09
      11.   This is good news 07:01  |  judith 16/06/09
      12.   #4 Lot`sa falsehoods there, Doug 07:03  |  Johnboy 16/06/09
      13.   #5 No, McQueen, they never did, and still don`t 07:07  |  Johnboy 16/06/09
      14.   #7, SAM, it`s not yours by deed 07:14  |  VIPER 16/06/09
      15.   Arab poison pill 07:19  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 16/06/09
      16.   Is East Jeruselem So difficult to give? 07:21  |  Marc Leb 16/06/09
      17.   The Arab peace initiative, in its present form, is dead. 07:35  |  Natallie Durson 16/06/09
      18.   A win-win solution. 07:54  |  Mario Sala 16/06/09
      19.   #8 David 08:26  |  JIm 16/06/09
      20.   #4 Doug 09:12  |  Jim 16/06/09
      21.   ISRAEL lost nothing.Peace to Pals is 5 million Arabs 10:01  |  PETER SM 16/06/09
      22.   Arabs must be made to forget two states and be happy 11:32  |  Baruch Gold 16/06/09
      23.   Peace is NOT an option 12:04  |  MiddleStanian 16/06/09
      24.   Good bye arab dictators that tried peace with settlers. 12:16  |  muslim-- 16/06/09
      25.   david 12:17  |  A.M. 16/06/09
      26.   Rejecting a Jewish state started (`48), perpetuates the conflict. 12:22  |  Dr. L. Brnd 16/06/09
      27.   Israel demands 12:25  |  Murray 16/06/09
      28.   Re: Israel Peace Initiative 12:33  |  Brian 16/06/09
      29.   Cringer Barel pretends he doesn`t know the only way not to "lose 12:57  |  Absolute Sweden 16/06/09
      30.   So much for ?international law? 13:11  |  Jordan 16/06/09
      31.   To Doug #4 13:31  |  Amir 16/06/09
      32.   Refugees 13:48  |  Reasoned Thinker 16/06/09
      33.   Jeff has become an MK he has seen the maps 13:50  |  andrea 16/06/09
      34.   jewish state 13:56  |  oz 16/06/09
      35.   lincoln 14:05  |  ehud 16/06/09
      36.   # 14 andrea 14:09  |  Axel 16/06/09
      37.   jim 14:10  |  patriot 16/06/09
      38.   Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and 14:31  |  Lisa 16/06/09
      39.   #13 Amir.....there is no precedent for any 14:35  |  Lynn 16/06/09
      40.   # 13 jordan 14:49  |  Axel 16/06/09
      41.   "Lost"? 14:56  |  Mark Lincoln 16/06/09
      42.   IF the Saudi Peace Initiative is dead 15:00  |  Arie 16/06/09
      43.   Acceptable positions 15:07  |  Arie 16/06/09
      44.   Netanyahu has realised that the Arab States are 15:13  |  Chris Linthwaite 16/06/09
      45.   Israel should allow refugees to return but 15:17  |  Zohan 16/06/09
      46.   Weak Israel = No Peace. Strong Israel = Maybe? 15:44  |  Gilad 16/06/09
      47.   Let the dust settle 15:53  |  Mark Greenberg 16/06/09
      48.   When there are no remarkable differences between Egypt and Syria, 15:57  |  Kris Lazar 16/06/09
      49.   The time for ONE STATE SOLUTION has begun 16:15  |  Ibrahim 16/06/09
      50.   #23 Zohan 16:29  |  John 16/06/09
      51.   Dangerous Games 16:32  |  Giles Martin 16/06/09
      52.   P.S. to # 13 jordan 16:37  |  Axel 16/06/09
      53.   Outstanding news 16:40  |  Gee 16/06/09
      54.   #25 Kris Lazar 16:43  |  John 16/06/09
      55.   Jordan #13 what international law? 16:43  |  Gee 16/06/09
      56.   # 30 arie 16:50  |  Axel 16/06/09
      57.   to 14 17:04  |  Harry 16/06/09
      58.   Arabs making demands and Israel bending over is NOT a peace 17:25  |  David 16/06/09
      59.   Even Israelis Question Jewishness (Russians) 18:10  |  Shaul Ben-Yimini 16/06/09
      60.   Peace, peace.... oh well! 18:16  |  Daniel 16/06/09
      61.   No Jewish State, then no Palestinian State. 18:28  |  Fortuna Benmayor 16/06/09
      62.   Axel - and JEWISH STATE 18:31  |  Arie 16/06/09
      63.   Ibrahim 18:31  |  jeff r 16/06/09
      64.   Mark LIncoln, you forget 18:46  |  DavidAK 16/06/09
      65.   answer to Baruch Gold 18:54  |  flo 16/06/09
      66.   Israel`s Largesse and "Generous Offer" Redux 19:08  |  Yaakov Sullivan 16/06/09
      67.   # 54 arie 19:08  |  Axel 16/06/09
      68.   ibrahim 19:23  |  patriot 16/06/09
      69.   # 56 davidak 19:24  |  Axel 16/06/09
      70.   jeff r from new york 19:25  |  Ibrahim 16/06/09
      71.   Arab peace initiative 19:27  |  bar kochva 16/06/09
      72.   Arie call it what you will--just act civilised 19:29  |  andrea 16/06/09
      73.   To Murray (Israel demands) 19:29  |  Jania 16/06/09
      74.   Peace Plan 19:31  |  Sean 16/06/09
      75.   Axel: Foreigners? 19:45  |  Arie 16/06/09
      76.   sorry David --didn,t netanyahu say there are no 19:54  |  Andrea 16/06/09
      77.   Arabs lost Arab initiative when they refused to negotiate 20:17  |  Realist 16/06/09
      78.   ibrahim #65 20:33  |  jeff r 16/06/09
      79.   Andrea, this is part of netanyahu`s doublespeak 21:27  |  Yaakov Sullivan 16/06/09
      80.   Bibi`s a genius! 21:40  |  Michael 16/06/09
      81.   to realist.. Olmert had now power to say anything. 21:44  |  Tony Silver 16/06/09
      82.   Anyone recall Resolution 181 03:20  |  Jackie 17/06/09
      83.   History lesson 03:36  |  Jackie 17/06/09
      84.   #64 That is simply untrue, DavidAK 04:19  |  Johnboy 17/06/09
      85.   #55 Gee, you are looking in the wrong place. 04:43  |  Johnboy 17/06/09
      86.   Jewish State 10:04  |  Iain 17/06/09
      87.   One State 10:08  |  Iain 17/06/09
      88.   Distortions 12:53  |  Murray 17/06/09
      89.   #`s 1-5 it sounds like its your choice then... 05:31  |  eric 18/06/09
      90.   Re 17 Israel 08:02  |  RME 18/06/09
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