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Last update - 05:39 13/07/2009
Akiva Eldar / Obama's settlement talks are insulting to Abbas
By Akiva Eldar
Tags: peace process, israel news 

If I were Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas I would be deeply insulted by the negotiations U.S. President Barack Obama is conducting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over building permits in the settlements. Who authorized the Americans - this administration or the previous one - to do business with Palestinian land?

If I were Netanyahu I would be very worried by Israel's image in the Arab world as a client of the United States in the "natural growth" affair. How is it possible that the proud Jewish government is begging the non-Jews ("Rome" in Netanyahu's discourse, according to senior adviser Uzi Arad), to allow it to build a kindergarten in Ma'aleh Adumim?

If I were Obama I would tell Netanyahu that if the settlers' children are so close to the prime minister's heart, let him ask the Palestinian Authority to take their crowded living conditions into consideration. After all, even according to Israel's official position, Ma'aleh Adumim does not belong to us but is considered disputed territory - a dispute with the Palestinians, not the Americans. The prime minister does not miss an opportunity to decry any attempt to solve a territorial dispute unilaterally, such as the Gaza disengagement, though that move was made with the blessing of a very friendly American president.
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A unilateral worldview is inherent in the demand to expand construction in areas defined as "settlement blocs." This political and geographic term is nothing more than an Israeli invention that has never received Palestinian approval or international legitimization. As far as the world is concerned, even the Western Wall and Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem are settlements in every sense.

George W. Bush's recognition of the demographic reality in the territories since 1967 was clearly conditioned on an agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians on permanent borders. Moreover, Israel itself has not defined the boundaries of the "blocs" it wants to keep in a permanent agreement. If Netanyahu asks nicely, Abbas may let him complete the construction of a few hundred buildings in the so-called settlement blocs. After all, the Palestinians turned a blind eye to 40 percent growth in housing starts in the territories since the Annapolis summit.

However, that was while prime minister Ehud Olmert was conducting an intensive dialogue with Abbas on all final-status issues: borders, Jerusalem and refugees. When an Israeli leader was offering Abbas a very generous withdrawal, territory exchanges on boths sides of the West Bank border (without including the Gaza Strip in the deal), and a fair arrangement on East Jerusalem, it was not worth it for him to make waves over a few settlers.

PA chief negotiator Saeb Erekat confirmed in a lecture in Amman about two weeks ago that the gap between Abbas and Olmert was on the issue of territorial contiguity stemming from the annexation of the "Ariel bloc," Givat Ze'ev and area E-1. Erekat was convinced that if the Olmert government had remained in office, the agreement would have been within reach. If Netanyahu denies his predecessor's positions on issues of principle, why should Obama (not to mention Abbas) honor oral understandings that did or did not exist with the previous U.S. administration on negligible issues such as natural growth?

Netanyahu has just pledged to renew direct negotiations with the Palestinians based on the two-state solution. That is the outline for discussions on all points of dispute including the request to expand construction to account for natural population growth, the demand to demilitarize the West Bank and the expectation that the Palestinians will recognize Israel as a Jewish state. In these discussions, issues such as roadblocks, the route of the security fence and prisoners can also be hammered out.

Instead of wasting presidential prestige and valuable time pathetically bargaining with Netanyahu over another kindergarten, Obama should give him the phone number of the Muqata government headquarters and demand that Abbas keep a line free. If in a reasonable period of time, say two or three months, the two leaders cannot reach understandings on all core issues, the time will come for the president to put the Obama plan on the table.

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      1.   Problem is that a line open to Muqata is not enough 04:37  |  Jeff Marquis 13/07/09
      2.   How long will this man go on ranting? 05:27  |  Shalom Freedman 13/07/09
      3.   americans have no right but israel does? 05:48  |  mikk 13/07/09
      4.   hmm... unless it is resolved between Israel and Palestinians 06:00  |  Miron 13/07/09
      5.   This article is insulting to Akiva Eldar 06:26  |  Natallie Durson 13/07/09
      6.   Mr. Akiva Eldar`s Erroneous Assumption 06:28  |  Jeff Northridge 13/07/09
      7.   Interesting revelation by Akiva Eldar, now I understand... 06:36  |  Smadar 13/07/09
      8.   Israeli Tranpsarency 06:50  |  Bill 13/07/09
      9.   #2 Such self-serving nonsense, Jeff 07:04  |  Johnboy 13/07/09
      10.   We`re already insulted 07:32  |  David 13/07/09
      11.   Abu Mazen has been ther for so long... 07:44  |  Fortuna Benmayor 13/07/09
      12.   Akiva is best advisor to PLO 07:46  |  As`ad - Angry Arab 13/07/09
      13.   Mr Jeff Northridge Erroneous Assumption 07:48  |  Froy 13/07/09
      14.   the insult eldar is to our intelligence, after16 years 08:09  |  v hardman 13/07/09
      15.   Answer to Jeff Northridge 08:14  |  John E. Smoke 13/07/09
      16.   Where is the real Akiva? 08:24  |  Marilyn 13/07/09
      17.   Fortuna Benmayor 09:19  |  TonyL 13/07/09
      18.   To Mr Eldar 09:34  |  TonyL 13/07/09
      19.   So, let Abbas do the negotiations, but he refuses! Indeed, he ... 10:11  |  Amihai 13/07/09
      20.   Pointing out what is likely to be a fundamental flaw 10:23  |  Johnboy 13/07/09
      21.   Trafficking in stolen property is insulting to entire world 10:26  |  Ivar 13/07/09
      22.   mr. eldar, israel has no right to exist 10:33  |  jonny 13/07/09
      23.   Akiva is right. Abbas should resign 10:44  |  Abu Firas Al Qudsi 13/07/09
      24.   Ahmed Eldar wanting to introduce honor killings to Israel 11:16  |  Absolute Sweden 13/07/09
      25.   Obama is insulting fed-up Americans too.. 11:19  |  Dutch 13/07/09
      26.   Natallie Durson insulting to herself 11:29  |  Joe Sittizen 13/07/09
      27.   #15 ivar and more excretia from estonia 11:44  |  v hardman 13/07/09
      28.   Bill 11:51  |  Freddy 13/07/09
      29.   to Johnboy 11:56  |  Freddy 13/07/09
      30.   Froy 12:02  |  Freddy 13/07/09
      31.   Rome 12:23  |  Peter 13/07/09
      32.   Akiva Eldar misses the point 12:31  |  Chris Linthwaite 13/07/09
      33.   Johnboy #8 That`s easy 12:57  |  Jeff Northridge 13/07/09
      34.   Netanyahu`s double standard... 13:14  |  Dutch 13/07/09
      35.   That`s the point 13:22  |  Dov 13/07/09
      36.   Froy--I see you have not met Judge Jeff--allow me 13:26  |  Labhras 13/07/09
      37.   israel is a settlement 13:36  |  Robin 13/07/09
      38.   Answer for Johnboy 14:12  |  Jackie 13/07/09
      39.   You Mean No Busieness with ISRAELI land 14:19  |  Josh 13/07/09
      40.   What were Erekat`s `wide gaps` then? 14:27  |  Rachel Carter 13/07/09
      41.   Who authorized US to do business with land in europe during ww2? 14:55  |  jens 13/07/09
      42.   Johnboy # 8 That`s Not The Point 15:17  |  Jeff Northridge 13/07/09
      43.   Shichem, Abu-Dis or Hevron as Jewish towns 15:20  |  A.S. 13/07/09
      44.   palestinian land 15:24  |  Shmuelshachor 13/07/09
      45.   erasing history 15:33  |  tk 13/07/09
      46.   Why would Abbas be insulted? 15:37  |  Natallie Durson 13/07/09
      47.   mikk @# 2 15:51  |  Akiva P 13/07/09
      48.   # 4, If I were Israel.... 16:06  |  Akiva P 13/07/09
      49.   to morin: i dont understand what you said.... 16:29  |  nod 13/07/09
      50.   Froy @# 12,"...under military occupation for the last 60 years.." 16:43  |  Akiva P 13/07/09
      51.   #25 It is the exact point, Jeff. Part 1 17:01  |  Johnboy 13/07/09
      52.   You wish 17:04  |  Dave Duncan 13/07/09
      53.   Settlement Talks 17:06  |  Linda Livni 13/07/09
      54.   Akiva Eldar / Obama`s settlement talks are insulting to Abbas 17:09  |  miro 13/07/09
      55.   Akiva Eldar / Obama`s settlement talks are insulting to Abbas 17:09  |  miro 13/07/09
      56.   Abu Firas Al Qudsi @# 17 17:17  |  Akiva P 13/07/09
      57.   Johnboy vs. The Hague 17:24  |  Fish 13/07/09
      58.   WITHOUT US, ISRAEL WOULDNT EXIST.. so the US holds rights in the 17:30  |  holy land 13/07/09
      59.   Palestinian Land 17:44  |  Jasper 13/07/09
      60.   Who cares about Abbas? 17:54  |  Jewchai 13/07/09
      61.   Froy @# 12,"...under military occupation for the last 60 years.." 18:01  |  Akiva P 13/07/09
      62.   NOW THERE IS A PROBLEM? Ha ha 18:07  |  Observer 13/07/09
      63.   Sorry, Fish, no 18:59  |  Murray 13/07/09
      64.   Sorry Murray, Yes 20:04  |  Fish 13/07/09
      65.   Response to David from Boston: grow up! 20:21  |  Raphael 13/07/09
      66.   #40 neither would europe holy so whats your point ? 23:25  |  v hardman 13/07/09
      67.   #44 Sorry, Fish, no. 02:05  |  Johnboy 14/07/09
      68.   #19 Jeff, it`s only easy if your won`t see the contradictory. 02:11  |  Johnboy 14/07/09
      69.   Sorry Fish 03:19  |  r cummings 14/07/09
      70.   If I was Hamas I would start targeting settlements 03:59  |  ResistanceMember 14/07/09
      71.   another out of touch piece 04:33  |  don muntean 14/07/09
      72.   #49 Where you go wrong, don 08:29  |  Johnboy 14/07/09
      73.   2 separate questions 12:25  |  Murray 14/07/09
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