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Last update - 09:13 18/10/2007
Paying a high price
By Israel Harel

The lull in meetings between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert dragged Olmert, in an impulsive and unplanned move, into the trap that is the Annapolis summit. It could end, as the Second Lebanon War did from a military perspective, in a resounding failure in terms of foreign relations and image. Seeing as Abbas does not want to concede on the points dearest to the Palestinians, and Olmert cannot do so even if he wants to, the summit will mainly serve as a propaganda event. And in the propaganda sphere the Palestinians, those darlings of the international media, are liable to win the entire kitty.

Abbas is going to Annapolis to reap an incalculable profit (in this day and age of television): the hearts and minds of the entire world. Television loves refugee camps, especially Palestinian ones. The rest of the Israel-lovers at the conference - Israel is in favor of inviting all of the Arab states, including Syria - will join the chorus blaming it for all the ills of the region and of the whole world.

Abbas plays the role of the poor, weak victim who must be saved from the jaws of Hamas, and Israel will be asked to foot the bill of the rescue. The price will be more than even the most left-leaning side of Zionism can afford. If it does so, it will no longer be a Jewish, Zionist state. In the future, it might not be a state at all.
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Therefore, even Olmert will be forced to break up the party, and the world will once again have a reason to denounce Israel for not restoring Palestinian rights. Justice lovers of the world believe that the strong must defer to the weak, and the rich to the poor. By this logic, if Israel caused the refugee problem, then it bears the responsibility of bringing them back 'home.'

Anyone who concedes in advance on the main principle - namely, the Jews' right to the Land of Israel - and leaves it for the Arabs alone, creates world support for the Palestinians. Anyone who insists on thinking, like the current hedonistic and misguided government, that the more concessions, the greater the chance for peace, is liable to find himself in the not-so-distant future without any rights at all.

The main topic of international debate today is over rights. For that reason, the Palestinians, who never stop speaking the language of rights, have broad support in the world and even in the Israeli left. The language of the rights of the Jews, however, is unfamiliar to Olmert and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who were raised in the Betar movement. It is not uttered loudly - it is not uttered at all - not even on the ceremonial level, by those who are cooking up the stew of concessions for Annapolis. They promise us, just as Yossi Beilin and company promised at Oslo, that "there is a partner for dialogue" and "we must take advantage of the window of opportunity" and in order to reinforce the partner "we must make gestures," and, above all, for the sake of peace, make "painful concessions." "The partner," in case you were not paying attention, is the same partner as in Oslo, and the language of gestures and concession is exactly the same language that led to the Oslo disaster.

Abbas' negotiating team represented the Palestinians in the meetings that led to the Oslo Accords. It is the same team that will be facing us at Annapolis. Yasser Arafat went to the White House to reap the profits and, eventually, the Nobel Peace Prize. This team, headed by Ahmed Qureia, has returned 15 years later to push us into a new corner.

Israel already suffers the image of an opponent of peace. The regular guest at the Prime Minister's Residence is unsheathing its claws and has stated that unless the 1967 borders are followed precisely, there will be no arrangement. He refuses to talk about canceling the right of return.

What about Israel? As usual, it is bewildered and defensive. If that is the case now, it is a snap to guess how it will behave under the intense media spotlight of Annapolis.
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  1.   oslo disaster? 09:50  |  A.M. 18/10/07
  2.   "Israel already suffers the image of an opponent of peace" 10:03  |  Swiss (Dino) 18/10/07
  3.   #2quo vadis dino of cuckoo clock fame 10:20  |  victor hardman 18/10/07
  4.   Land Grab Part 2 10:26  |  Daybreak 18/10/07
  5.   no Israel walked itself 10:47  |  cool 18/10/07
  6.   OF COURSE MANY THINGS HAVE CHANGED 11:18  |  indrajaya 18/10/07
  7.   Relax, there can never be any separate Arab political entity 11:32  |  Uzi 18/10/07
  8.   Disastrous behaviour patterns of the Arabs of Eretz Yisrael 11:36  |  Uzi 18/10/07
  9.   No point negotiating under the current common assumptions 11:41  |  Uzi 18/10/07
  10.   Facts observed: 11:48  |  Uzi 18/10/07
  11.   # 3 victor hardman 11:48  |  Swiss (Dino) 18/10/07
  12.   ARAB APRTHEID TOWARD ARAB IS TO BLAME 12:09  |  Van de Slefs 18/10/07
  13.   ISRAEL: stop worrying what the world thinks of you! 12:15  |  Hard Talk 18/10/07
  14.   Hamas per se are no problem; it`s the PA, Fatah, Abbas, etc 12:19  |  Uzi 18/10/07
  15.   ISRAEL: the world is taking you on a guilt-trip! 12:19  |  Hard Talk 18/10/07
  16.   #11 dino confuses appeasement with negotitions 12:22  |  victor hardman 18/10/07
  17.   ISRAEL: you have one friend in this world: "me"! 12:27  |  Hard Talk 18/10/07
  18.   The Holocaust 13:27  |  Alan 18/10/07
  19.   Israel Harel and the victim 13:40  |  Truth 18/10/07
  20.   Uzi 13:42  |  Truth 18/10/07
  21.   Israel will foot the Bill? 14:42  |  Cool B 18/10/07
  22.   #21the man with a$15trillion debt writes about bills? 15:22  |  victor hardman 18/10/07
  23.   The forthcoming meeting in Annapolis will no doubt be an 15:53  |  Edna 18/10/07
  24.   The U.S. viewing public is what matters 16:20  |  David Hoffman 18/10/07
  25.   harel youre delusional 16:42  |  ravi 18/10/07
  26.   To Ravi #25 17:13  |  David Hoffman 18/10/07
  27.   Thats an easy one 17:19  |  Danite 18/10/07
  28.   Jews can handle a little public bashing. We`ve seen worse 17:29  |  Jason from colorado 18/10/07
  29.   Truth #19 17:37  |  Jason from colorado 18/10/07
  30.   Abu Mazen is a victim 17:54  |  khairi janbek 18/10/07
  31.   Isreal needs to come to terms with the Pals 18:10  |  American 18/10/07
  32.   Hard Talk - I am sure that that`s also good advice for Iran 18:11  |  Man 18/10/07
  33.   Alan 18:13  |  Man 18/10/07
  34.   `truth` in melbourne 18:20  |  Jew 18/10/07
  35.   to khairi janbek #30- what massive victory? 19:23  |  Dav;id Hoffman 18/10/07
  36.   Harel views Saudi Initiative as a glass half empty 20:25  |  Ivar 18/10/07
  37.   peace with Egypt was one of the courses of todays problems 20:49  |  zionist forever 18/10/07
  38.   Playing the victim 21:01  |  KUTW 18/10/07
  39.   7 21:07  |  zionist forever 18/10/07
  40.   RE:36 21:24  |  zionist forever 18/10/07
  41.   Hey "Truth" #19 21:56  |  Polybios 18/10/07
  42.   Jason it is Aboriginal not "Abo" 22:04  |  Truths 18/10/07
  43.   Jew and nonsense 22:07  |  Truths 18/10/07
  44.   Truth (#43) and regional peace! 23:08  |  Polybios 18/10/07
  45.   Annapolis 23:08  |  Yonah 18/10/07
  46.   Even Hamas will have to conform 23:48  |  Palestinian Prince 18/10/07
  47.   Yonah, what appeasement? 23:59  |  Martin McKenna 18/10/07
  48.   A real leader wouldn`t allow Annapolis disaster to happen. 00:21  |  Chaim 19/10/07
  49.   Paying a hi price 01:15  |  Marc Mansour 19/10/07
  50.   What else can Abbas do? Why not? 01:25  |  Mark Lincoln 19/10/07
  51.   Martin Mckenna #46 02:12  |  Polybios 19/10/07
  52.   Predictions of a showdown at Annapolis. 02:35  |  sandra chitayat 19/10/07
  53.   #23 Edna is feeling generous today 03:23  |  Johnboy 19/10/07
  54.   #17 Hard Talk has the right idea.... 03:30  |  Johnboy 19/10/07
  55.   Pal state is an artifact 03:44  |  garrick 19/10/07
  56.   49#Mark Lincoln.You always stop short supporting your conclusions 04:28  |  Akram Zekaria 19/10/07
  57.   Polybios #1 04:56  |  Martin Mckenna 19/10/07
  58.   polybios #2 04:59  |  martin mckenna 19/10/07
  59.   Akram - just wait 05:06  |  Mark Lincoln 19/10/07
  60.   "Proof" ?! Why? Of what? 05:10  |  Mark Lincoln 19/10/07
  61.   Invite Belarus to the conference 05:14  |  Amin Nusseibeh 19/10/07
  62.   Invite Belarus to the conference 05:14  |  Amin Nusseibeh 19/10/07
  63.   Invite Belarus to the conference 05:14  |  Amin Nusseibeh 19/10/07
  64.   39 06:23  |  Uzi 19/10/07
  65.   Mark Lincoln # 59 - Are You On Drugs? 06:34  |  Eli 19/10/07
  66.   This is another American naiveté 07:41  |  Fortuna Benmayor 19/10/07
  67.   Polybios and conflict 08:08  |  Truths 19/10/07
  68.   Happen 1945 08:09  |  Dav 19/10/07
  69.   Olmert = A Real Fool 08:45  |  Tod Zuckerman 19/10/07
  70.   Relax 09:01  |  SoccerBall 19/10/07
  71.   How true. 09:29  |  Willy 19/10/07
  72.   59# Mark Lincoln. Take care of yourself.. 09:38  |  Akram Zekaria 19/10/07
  73.   Israel`s the victim as we all know. 09:45  |  JW 19/10/07
  74.   60# Mark Lincoln. I am trying again.. 13:00  |  Akram Zekaria 19/10/07
  75.   Sure Martin, #58 21:06  |  Polybios 19/10/07
  76.   Rambling un-Truths #67 21:13  |  Polybios 19/10/07
  77.   Martin #57 21:19  |  Polybios 19/10/07
  78.   30# Khairi- Jordan is Palestine is the key to Peace. 05:12  |  Akram Zekaria 20/10/07
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