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Last update - 10:35 10/12/2007
The Har Homa test
By Akiva Eldar
Tags: Annapolis, Israel, Har Homa 

It is difficult to think of a place more suitable than Har Homa for holding the first test in the spirit of Annapolis. The comparison between Har Homa Crisis No. 2 and the development of Har Homa Crisis No. 1 can teach us whether the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has indeed started a new track or whether all the players are stuck on the old line.

Does Ehud Olmert, who pressed for the establishment of the new neighborhood in East Jerusalem, really see something different from the Prime Minister's Bureau than what he saw from the office of the mayor of Jerusalem? Will President George W. Bush pay lip service and eventually have to eat his words, just as Bill Clinton did 10 years ago?

Meanwhile, it is difficult to find the differences. Har Homa Crisis No. 1 also broke out a short while after an American attempt to revive the peace process. In February, 1997, a few weeks after it signed the Hebron agreement, the Netanyahu government decided to erect 6,500 housing units on the southern border of East Jerusalem, about one-third of them on private land owned by Palestinians. In the Palestinian Authority (and the Israeli peace camp) this plan was seen as another step in a scheme to cut off their capital from the West Bank. Yasser Arafat threatened to declare the establishment of an independent state and the Palestinian Legislative Council announced a general strike in the territories.
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That crisis was the focus of Arafat's visit to the White House the following month. Clinton asked the Palestinian leader to be sensitive to Netanyahu's "coalition pressures." Arafat explained that he, too, had troubles at home and begged the president to at least demand that Israel delay the implementation of the decision to establish the neighborhood. The president sent envoy Dennis Ross to Netanyahu with a letter in which he demanded that the establishment of the neighborhood be postponed.

On the other side were the settlers and the activists from the right. They were flanked by then-mayor Olmert, who a short while earlier had pushed Netanyahu into the Western Wall tunnel - an adventure that ended with the death of 16 Israeli soldiers and dozens of Palestinians. Olmert declared that Har Homa was "the most substantive test of the government's ability to withstand pressure and demonstrate leadership." Work at the site began four days later. The U.S. secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, called U.S. Ambassador Martin Indyk at 5:30 A.M. and instructed him to go to Netanyahu with a firm message stating that the United States saw the establishment of the new neighborhood as "a step that undermines everything that we are trying to do."

The ambassador made his protest, the Arabs demonstrated, the UN Security Council met, the United States cast a veto - and Har Homa was taken off the international agenda. Arafat licked another wound and Hamas threw more salt on it.

The new neighborhood - or, from one point of view, the "settlement" - which arose on the southern hills of Jerusalem became a mark of Cain on the forehead of the Oslo camp in Ramallah. Ed Abington, who was then American consul general in Jerusalem, said later, "Arafat understood that we do not understand, or do not want to understand, the enormity of the troubles that the settlements cause him at home. Arafat understood that he was left alone in the campaign."

Netanyahu identified the weakness of the international community and continued to nurture the settlers. The response today of spokesmen for the Olmert government gives rise to the fear that the Annapolis conference did not change the situation on the Israeli side. They claim that "the neighborhood is within the area of the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem, over which Israeli law is binding, and therefore there is no prohibition to building there, just as there is no obstacle to building in any other part of Israel."

We have already forgotten that the prime minister agreed that everything would be open to negotiation, including Jerusalem. Is this the way to build a wall to fortify the status of PA President Mahmoud Abbas? And what will "the world" do - all those people who were in attendance at Annapolis - if Olmert decides to hide behind "pressures from the coalition" and approves the new construction?

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said over the weekend that new construction in the territories does not contribute to building mutual trust. She also stressed the special importance of refraining from moves that could have influence a final status agreement. The UN secretary general, Ban Ki-Moon, said that the decision to expand the neighborhood "is not helpful."

So the gentiles say these things - and thousands of Jewish residents laugh all the way to Har Homa. And what will happen to the spirit of Annapolis? The same thing that happened to the spirit of Hebron.
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  1.   ANOTHER REASON WHY 10:57  |  indrajaya 10/12/07
  2.   What is at stake here....???? 11:03  |  Swiss (Dino) 10/12/07
  3.   more pie in the sky from akiva on spirit 11:06  |  victor hardman 10/12/07
  4.   No, Contrary, THE ARABS ARE SABER RATTLING AND ATTACKING. PEACE? 11:25  |  Pavel 10/12/07
  5.   Duplicity, Lies and Subtrafuge 11:32  |  Yaakov Sullivan 10/12/07
  6.   The spirit of Annapolis 11:46  |  sh 10/12/07
  7.   to #2, on Israeli leaders 11:51  |  Fabio 10/12/07
  8.   it is clear to all 12:02  |  RM 10/12/07
  9.   #5 is yaakov cousin to doris and uncle to labarse 12:04  |  victor hardman 10/12/07
  10.   when it comes to building 12:09  |  rm 10/12/07
  11.   Moreover, Dino 12:12  |  Fabio 10/12/07
  12.   For The Sake Of Peace, Prevent Arabs From Building In Jerusalem 12:20  |  Yishai Kohen 10/12/07
  13.   A blind eye to Pal missiles, angst at Israeli houses 12:20  |  Sam 10/12/07
  14.   It`s really all based on assumptions about media control 12:31  |  Rowan Berkeley 10/12/07
  15.   Paddy Sullivan and Eldar,Catholic lovers united in hatred for Isr 12:52  |  Absolute Sweden 10/12/07
  16.   Any attempt to raise the question of building in areas that 12:56  |  Moishele 10/12/07
  17.   Undermining Annapolis? That`s the whole point 13:11  |  newageblues 10/12/07
  18.   To be or not to be, the status quo, or peace??? 13:12  |  Ivar 10/12/07
  19.   hardman, read the article and come out of the time warp 13:27  |  Yaakov Sullivan 10/12/07
  20.   # 7 / # 11 Fabio 13:30  |  Swiss (Dino) 10/12/07
  21.   #19yaakov and the time warp of the us constitution 13:39  |  victor hardman 10/12/07
  22.   @10,rm. we have no finantial aid of USA 13:53  |  vladimir 10/12/07
  23.   @10, rm btw we paid back all your military aid, you cannot 13:59  |  vladimir 10/12/07
  24.   Yaacov Sullivan 14:00  |  Hilda 10/12/07
  25.   hardman on the constitution #21 14:03  |  Yaakov Sullivan 10/12/07
  26.   Fabio 14:05  |  Hilda 10/12/07
  27.   @20, swiss dino, i see that cocain in your country 14:11  |  vladimir 10/12/07
  28.   #23 Vladimir, thanks for the advice that I should keep quiet 14:19  |  newageblues 10/12/07
  29.   Thank you Hilda, for your Hanukah Greeting #24 14:20  |  Yaakov Sullivan 10/12/07
  30.   #12 is right 14:37  |  JD 10/12/07
  31.   #24,26 Hilda, that`s a nice one 14:50  |  Fabio 10/12/07
  32.   THe Left in Israel 15:04  |  Ephraim 10/12/07
  33.   newageblues, @28. 15:07  |  vladimir 10/12/07
  34.   Victor Hardman 15:08  |  Gabe1 10/12/07
  35.   # 26 Hi, Hi, Hilda is calling in question Fabios identity........ 15:14  |  Swiss (Dino) 10/12/07
  36.   I agree with Moshe (16) who claims that this issue 15:16  |  Dubi 10/12/07
  37.   @28, newageblues 2 15:18  |  vladimir 10/12/07
  38.   What, Sullivan claims to be Jewish? Ha! You mean 15:18  |  Dubi 10/12/07
  39.   # 27 vladimirinski 15:20  |  Swiss (Dino) 10/12/07
  40.   SOLUTION for AKIVA 15:33  |  Ephraim 10/12/07
  41.   #25 yaakov the binding treaty is san remo 15:35  |  v ictor hardman 10/12/07
  42.   #15 Absolute Idiot 15:36  |  Jari 10/12/07
  43.   Swiss Dino`s interesting point 15:47  |  Ben 10/12/07
  44.   jew power 15:54  |  edgar 10/12/07
  45.   Vladimir, you`re either lying or astonishly ignorant 16:15  |  newageblues 10/12/07
  46.   # 43 Ben 16:16  |  Swiss (Dino) 10/12/07
  47.   @39, my lula??? not mine and never was. 16:16  |  vladimir 10/12/07
  48.   Freezing Construction 16:32  |  Jeff Northridge 10/12/07
  49.   #43ben jews have been praying for peace for 2000 years 16:55  |  v ictor hardman 10/12/07
  50.   One State or Two States? 17:03  |  Janet 10/12/07
  51.   Old Shmatta Eldar hasn`t a Jewish bone in his body 17:16  |  Maya 10/12/07
  52.   ACTUALLY JANET #50 17:17  |  Ephraim 10/12/07
  53.   newageblues # 45 U.S. Aid To Israel 17:23  |  Jeff Northridge 10/12/07
  54.   Preserving the coalition and Har Homa 17:25  |  Tosefta 10/12/07
  55.   Peace :What is it? 17:25  |  Ephraim 10/12/07
  56.   Janet- one state and that state is Israel 17:30  |  JD 10/12/07
  57.   To # 50 Janet 17:32  |  The Teacher/Instruct 10/12/07
  58.   TURNCOAT SULLIVAN 17:36  |  * BEN JABO 10/12/07
  59.   Watching Their State Slip Sliding Away 17:36  |  Dorothy 10/12/07
  60.   To # 52 EPHRAIM 17:38  |  The Teacher/Instruct 10/12/07
  61.   Akiva there was no "spirit"...... 17:47  |  Mary 10/12/07
  62.   @45, newageblues 17:55  |  vladimir 10/12/07
  63.   #53, Jeff, thank you for your informative and polite post 17:59  |  newageblues 10/12/07
  64.   Janet in far away Canada 18:13  |  Mary 10/12/07
  65.   # 53 jeff 18:17  |  Axel 10/12/07
  66.   #49 victor paul harrisman in TA 18:19  |  Labhras 10/12/07
  67.   # 56 JD 18:24  |  Axel 10/12/07
  68.   Settlers? 18:27  |  The Teacher/Instruct 10/12/07
  69.   Spirit of Annapolis ? Gimmee a Break ! 18:30  |  Tod Zuckerman 10/12/07
  70.   #61 Mary 18:34  |  Boycott 10/12/07
  71.   #63 newageblues re US aid to Israel