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Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa. (AP)
Last update - 10:29 23/11/2007
ANALYSIS: PA should have set the bar higher at the outset
By Amira Hass, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: peace process, Israel, PA 

"Neither side will make any move to change the status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip until the agreement is fully implemented," says one item in the Palestinian draft of the joint accord for Annapolis.

This same draft was given to both sides on July 17, and there was a similar provision in the 1995 interim agreement, in the 1998 Wye Agreement, and at Sharm el-Sheikh in 1999.

In other words, Israel has signed it before (without mentioning "East Jerusalem").
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When representatives of the Palestine Liberation Organization and a few donor states argued that the construction in the settlements was an infraction of the Oslo Accords, they based their argument on this sentence.

The question is why the Palestinian side made do with such a banal statement and did not prevent Israel from changing the West Bank's geography again and again. If it's only a draft, one would expect the Palestinians to set the bar higher at the outset, with explicit demands: to freeze the construction in the settlements, to stop land confiscation, to stop building the double road system for settlers and Palestinians, to remove the roadblocks.

As far as the Palestinian public is concerned, these are the counter-demands to the Israeli insistence on fighting terror, radicalization, incitement, etc. which are all included in the draft and partly signed by the Palestinians as well.

No lip service to Strip

Another glaring omission from the Palestinian draft is the Gaza Strip situation. There is not even vague lip-service to "doing everything possible to open the strip passages" to ease humanitarian suffering. This absence exposes a de facto Palestinian position (denied publicly) of giving up on any Gaza role in a political solution.

The absence of an explicit call to freeze construction in the settlements is in keeping with the negotiating tactic of the PLO and the Palestinian Authority as shaped in the Oslo years: There is no point in insisting on interim-period issues, concrete as they may be.

This is how the PA officials explained their agreement to dividing the West Bank into zones A, B and C. According to this tactic, when they negotiate on establishing a state they would insist on their demands, which are based on all the international resolutions. At that stage the settlements, fence and roadblocks would be removed in any case.

This is why the Palestinians are so opposed to the wording, "Israel is the state of the Jewish people," yet don't insist on including a statement such as "construction in the settlements will be suspended until the agreement is signed."

The problem, of course, is that during the ongoing interim period Israel is making huge changes in the West Bank, intended to fundamentally affect the final status map.

Thus the Palestinian draft reflects a very weak, even defeatist opening stance, in view of the Palestinians' expectations of their leadership.

Related links:
  • Joint document currently being drafted by Israel and the Palestinians
  • Official Annapolis conference Web site
  • List of invitees to peace conference in Annapolis
  • ANALYSIS: The importance of who attends Annapolis from Arab states
  • Barak: Israel mustn't allow itself to be blamed if Annapolis fails
  • Rice: U.S. will try to close Israeli-Palestinian peace deal in the next year
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      1.   Yes Amira Hamas, Arabs should have demanded the dissolution of Is 04:51  |  Genuine Tosefta 23/11/07
      2.   "BRILLIANT" Analysis from HAMAS 06:10  |  Jorge 23/11/07
      3.   Defeatist 06:12  |  B 23/11/07
      4.   Haaretz thinks the PA should pressure Israel even more 06:22  |  Avi 23/11/07
      5.   It is the point Amira Hamas? Anyway Arabs never honor their word! 06:32  |  Genuine Tosefta 23/11/07
      6.   Haas - This Nutcase Should Work for Al-Jazeera 06:37  |  Tod Zuckerman 23/11/07
      7.   Tiny feet. 07:14  |  Baz Mann 23/11/07
      8.   "open the strip passages" ? 08:14  |  redmike 23/11/07
      9.   Haaretz needs Eldar, Hass etc to qualify for LUNATIC FRINGE FUNDS 08:28  |  Pavel 23/11/07
      10.   and israel should insist on the implementation 08:33  |  victor hardman 23/11/07
      11.   Elect Amira Hass for Hamas leadership! 08:44  |  Gili 23/11/07
      12.   Just incredible 09:00  |  S 23/11/07
      13.   to #`s 1-7 and 9; amira is right on the money 09:07  |  eric 23/11/07
      14.   # 11 to gili in canada 09:09  |  eric 23/11/07
      15.   praise Haaretz for its media work on behalf of Hamas 09:12  |  Leon Rosgarten 23/11/07
      16.   Eric the wondering wanderer, what do you know about Arabs,Israel? 09:20  |  Genuine Tosefta 23/11/07
      17.   Amira 09:31  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 23/11/07
      18.   # 17, Cipora, AFAIK there are/have been 2 09:46  |  Uri 23/11/07
      19.   Unbelievable - in Israeli press!! 10:16  |  dr eric 23/11/07
      20.   ANNAPOLIS IS DEAD 10:26  |  B.Heddem 23/11/07
      21.   TIMELINE is the magic word here...... 10:30  |  Swiss (Dino) 23/11/07
      22.   Amira are you more Palestinian than Abbas? Representing Hamas? 10:44  |  Rob 23/11/07
      23.   Haaretz, why recycle this ridiculous Analysis 10:46  |  Rob 23/11/07
      24.   # 19 to the doc 10:47  |  eric 23/11/07
      25.   # 16 to the (mock)genuine tosefta 10:49  |  eric 23/11/07
      26.   Don`t reward Arabs for the Second Intifada 10:49  |  JR 23/11/07
      27.   19Dr Eric, Wrong, Amira is not pro PLO, only pro Hamas. 10:50  |  Rob 23/11/07
      28.   What do you expect from a failed PLO leadership 11:13  |  El-Birawi 23/11/07
      29.   Modern Jews 11:20  |  El-Birawi 23/11/07
      30.   Palestinian negotiators 11:27  |  Jack 23/11/07
      31.   eric#13 11:32  |  nina 23/11/07
      32.   "ISRAEL BECOMING LESS SECULAR" 11:33  |  Atilla Karagözoğlu 23/11/07
      33.   Hass correct in principle: Settlements incite terror against IL 11:42  |  Ivar 23/11/07
      34.   The bar 12:38  |  the Teacher 23/11/07
      35.   New name for Haaretz 12:46  |  Major R 23/11/07
      36.   Haas Voicing Extreme Left-Terrorist Fear of Success 14:21  |  Jane 23/11/07
      37.   I wish that all Arab media was as good as Al-Jazeera 14:27  |  redmike 23/11/07
      38.   The PA does not speak for the people 15:44  |  The Arab Hammer 23/11/07
      39.   Amira Haas 15:45  |  khairi janbek 23/11/07
      40.   Amira shouldn`t do "analysis" 15:54  |  Tosefta 23/11/07
      41.   Then with your logic 16:54  |  Gee 23/11/07
      42.   settlements 16:56  |  the Teacher 23/11/07
      43.   SET THE BAR HIGHER BY NUKES, HAARETZ? 17:36  |  indrajaya 23/11/07
      44.   AraB HAMMER 18:05  |  SABRA 23/11/07
      45.   another hit piece / hate piece by amira - here`s why (last try) 18:59  |  CK Tan 23/11/07
      46.   Thank you CK Tan. It is good to know there are decent people 21:11  |  Genuine Tosefta 23/11/07
      47.   to CJ Kohn #17 22:13  |  zeev 23/11/07
      48.   If the PA can`t bring itself to simply declare the obvious, that 22:34  |  Eldad Harel 23/11/07
      49.   Contrary Analysis 23:28  |  L. King 23/11/07
      50.   Jane, what is to "fear"? 23:30  |  Mark Lincoln 23/11/07
      51.   #40 Tosefta, re: "Amira shouldn`t do analysis" reminds me when 00:24  |  Smadar 24/11/07
      52.   to Eldad Harel #48 00:35  |  zeev 24/11/07
      53.   # 13 Thanks for a fine post, eric! 00:51  |  Ben Alofs 24/11/07
      54.   # 31 i`ll keep that in mind, nina; thanks 00:53  |  eric 24/11/07
      55.   to khairi janbek #39, two questions 01:05  |  zeev 24/11/07
      56.   #47, zeev 01:06  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 24/11/07
      57.   #52, zeev 01:18  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 24/11/07
      58.   # 53 thank you, ben alofs 02:25  |  eric 24/11/07
      59.   #21 Swiss....it is time to forego the past 03:04  |  Lynn 24/11/07
      60.   #40 Tosefta...in other words you are hoping 03:06  |  Lynn 24/11/07
      61.   To Zeev 03:21  |  khairi janbek 24/11/07
      62.   zeev - Post-Zionist? 03:31  |  Mark Lincoln 24/11/07
      63.   Cipora Julianna Kohn - so? 03:44  |  Mark Lincoln 24/11/07
      64.   Gili # 11 03:50  |  Philippe 24/11/07
      65.   The problem for a pragmatist 03:53  |  Mark Lincoln 24/11/07
      66.   Sabra 03:59  |  Kiwi girl 24/11/07
      67.   Baz Mann 04:16  |  Connie M. 24/11/07
      68.   CK Tan # 45 04:18  |  Philippe 24/11/07
      69.   Rosgarten 04:27  |  Connie M. 24/11/07
      70.   Interesting article 05:49  |  Johnboy 24/11/07
      71.