Subscribe to Print Edition | Tue., December 25, 2007 Tevet 16, 5768 | | Israel Time: 19:51 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Rosner's Domain Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Advertising Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File Hanukkah

del.icio.us Digg It!  new Where are Labor and Meretz? By Akiva Eldar Tags: Meretz, Labor On the eve of the trip to the Annapolis summit, a penetrating debate was held at the Muqata on the question of whether Mahmoud Abbas should participate in the George W. Bush and Ehud Olmert show. At the last moment the Palestinians discovered that the Israeli prime minister had retracted his promise that the conference document would address at least one of the core issues specifically, and in a binding manner. The opponents said that they were tired of the Israelis' empty promises to dismantle roadblocks, evacuate outposts and be more generous about freeing prisoners. They warned that another fruitless peace gathering would be a disappointment that the Palestinian public would not be able to tolerate, and spoke about how Hamas would celebrate the farce in Annapolis. The argument that tipped the balance in the end was that without the conference in Maryland, there would be no donors conference in Paris. Economic distress overcame political distress. Olmert cited political constraints as his excuse for refusing to mention the June 4, 1967 borders in the Annapolis declaration, and for refusing to commit to a time frame for concluding the negotiations. He explained that Avigdor Lieberman had threatened to take his party Yisrael Beitenu out of the government and to bring about early elections. Ehud Barak could have said to Olmert something like: "With all due respect to Lieberman, I am your main coalition partner. If you are planning to miss this opportunity - we are out." Barak, as we know, did not open his mouth. In any case he does not believe in the power of Abbas and his colleagues in the Fatah leadership to achieve a final-status agreement. Advertisement Nor did the dovish wing of the Labor leadership protest the participation of their chair in the Annapolis show. Yuli Tamir, who came to politics from Peace Now, was busy with the teachers' strike and Ami Ayalon, who came from the Ayalon-Nusseibeh peace agreement, was busy preaching in favor of a military operation in Gaza. The opposition members Yossi Beilin and Haim Oron, who experienced the pre-Annapolis contacts between Olmert and Abbas at first hand, swallowed their tongues. The Meretz leadership (with the exception of Zehava Gal-On) gave the prime minister the support of the Zionist left at a bargain price. It made do with a general promise that the core issues that had been filtered out of the summation document of the Annapolis conference would be discussed in the negotiations that are supposed to begin in its wake. It turns out that the Zionist left finds it easier to fulfill its mission when it is confronting leaders who are loyal to the platform of the right, than when it is confronting right-wing prime ministers who are willing to mention the word "occupation." It was easier to attack Yitzhak Shamir and Benjamin Netanyahu for building "permitted" settlements than to demand that Ariel Sharon stop destroying the Palestinian Authority and to demand that Olmert dismantle "forbidden" outposts. Why make an issue of these "petty" matters when the former Likud members were evacuating Gaza and becoming friendly with Mahmoud Abbas? We should not, of course, ignore the fact that Olmert had to go a long distance from his Revisionist background in order to warn that a continuation of the occupation would lead to apartheid and to the end of the Jewish state. Words said by a leader are of significance. But the Israeli peace camp should have learned from its experience in the Barak government that talk about peace, without actions of peace, can end up with an intifada. The people behind the Oslo accords in the Labor Party turned a blind eye to Barak's many mistakes when conducting relations with the Palestinians: from the preference for the Syrian channel to the defective preparations for Camp David. The Meretz ministers gave him a big break when it came to the policy of the settlements and human rights in the territories. Has anyone heard that Labor and Meretz are demanding that the prime minister fulfill his commitment to the Americans to evacuate outposts? Why do they believe that a prime minister who violates official promises that his government made to the U.S. president will keep his word to conduct accelerated negotiations over Jerusalem? Why can Lieberman, the representative of the right, threaten Olmert that if the negotiations on the core issues reach an advanced stage, he will be forced to part from him, while a representative of the left cannot make a similar threat, conditioning its participation on progress in the peace process? The ultimate excuse, the doomsday weapon, "What do you want, Bibi [Netanyahu]?" cannot serve forever as the fig leaf of the Zionist left. Even if they provide Olmert with a refuge, a failure in the negotiations with what remains of the Palestinian peace camp (and/or the results of the Winograd report) will bring Netanyahu back to power. Sooner or later. Bookmark to del.icio.us Happy birthday Gloom has been banished from Bethlehem's Christmas celebrations. Reforming Judaism An international Reform movement summit in Jerusalem will tackle issues of status in Israel.   1.   please understand 09:57  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 24/12/07   2.   Eldar, if Pals don`t want you,it doesn`t make a difference 10:10  |  Sam 24/12/07   3.   they are hiding 10:13  |  ron 24/12/07   4.   The Silver Lining 10:15  |  Neil 24/12/07   5.   "Iron Dome" mentality undermines honest peace brokering 10:19  |  Ivar 24/12/07   6.   Our Annap homework is striking Gaza for Abbas` sake 10:41  |  Alain 24/12/07   7.   IVAR & the Arabs never responsible view.100,000 killed in Algeria 10:53  |  PETER SM 24/12/07   8.   Israel has a left? I don`t think so 10:56  |  Natallie Durson 24/12/07   9.   WHAT DEMANDS? JUST PACK AND LEAVE 11:43  |  indrajaya 24/12/07   10.   left outside is the only fair comment ! 12:00  |  victor hardman 24/12/07   11.   The failure of the left - and Cipora #1 12:03  |  dana 24/12/07   12.   Israelis cannot make calls for peace 12:29  |  Chris Linthwaite 24/12/07   13.   #11, dana 12:36  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 24/12/07   14.   Indrajaya (no. 10) has got it wrong 12:40  |  ARA 24/12/07   15.   Ehud Barak has got it right 12:47  |  ARA 24/12/07   16.   #11, "Once there were good Germans, too." 12:55  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 24/12/07   17.   Kohn # 12 Purple prose is back in style? 13:07  |  Natallie Durson 24/12/07   18.   ENTIRE CONFLICT EXPLAINED IN LESS THAN 20 LINES 13:17  |  G. Marcus 24/12/07   19.   #16, Durson 13:24  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 24/12/07   20.   NDURSON.Gush Shalom,Shalom AchshavYesh Gvul,Meretz etc& YOU 13:25  |  PETER SM 24/12/07   21.   Nazillie Durson 13:34  |  Nik "Banned" Miller 24/12/07   22.   # 19 Kohn 13:41  |  Natallie Durson 24/12/07   23.   Meretzes peace failed!! 13:53  |  dr Eric 24/12/07   24.   The israeli Left is something of a sinister joke.To take one 14:00  |  lakshmi 24/12/07   25.   # 14, ARA 14:14  |  indrajaya 24/12/07   26.   #22, Durson 14:18  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 24/12/07   27.   # 15, ARA 14:30  |  indrajaya 24/12/07   28.   The Israeli Left? 14:37  |  Mark Lincoln 24/12/07   29.   leftists don`t flourish in democracy because they 14:42  |  israili 24/12/07   30.   Haaretz "talkbakers" turn Akiva Eldar into a right winger 14:45  |  Z Lando 24/12/07   31.   The Zionist "left" 15:33  |  Ben Alofs 24/12/07   32.   As an imminent Palestinian, Lando should mute his demonizations 15:39  |  Ivar 24/12/07   33.   Israels `left` Olmert USA left Bush 16:15  |  Petra 24/12/07   34.   # 14 Ara Amen to that! 16:16  |  Petra 24/12/07   35.   Whatever Israeli left is left 16:20  |  Boris 24/12/07   36.   Israeli left is dead, self destroyed 17:38  |  Jorge 24/12/07   37.   The idea of colonialist socialism no longer makes sense 17:39  |  Rowan Berkeley 24/12/07   38.   Peace... 19:13  |  John 24/12/07   39.   Israeli Left - If Not So Dangerous, They`d Be Hilarious 19:24  |  Tod Zuckerman 24/12/07   40.   # 8 If only that would be true, stupid Fatmah,... 20:04  |  Misha 24/12/07   41.   the left`s just became main stream 20:05  |  Haim Shmendrik 24/12/07   42.   #41 the occupation myth, make up some history if there is none... 21:33  |  no shettel for me 24/12/07   43.   :-) "Zionist left"... 21:45  |  Uzziel 24/12/07   44.   Misha (#40) and other right wingers, you are history ! 21:51  |  Haim Shmendrik 24/12/07   45.   Dear Rowan, 23:17  |  The Seer 24/12/07   46.   Typical Natallie Durson 23:34  |  CHGODMK 24/12/07   47.   Stupid Libs 00:08  |  Yechiel 25/12/07   48.   Don`t let Arabs vote and no population problem! 00:13  |  Yechiel 25/12/07   49.   #42 call it "liberation" of the land .... 00:58  |  Haim Shmendrik 25/12/07   50.   Answer: Israel-haters like Eldar discredit the peace camp 04:22  |  McQueen 25/12/07   51.   Haim Shmendrik 04:36  |  jerry 25/12/07   52.   What this talk-back tells us 05:21  |  Mark Lincoln 25/12/07   53.   #45 seer 07:30  |  Rowan Berkeley 25/12/07   54.   Answer: Going to hell, where they belong. 07:36  |  Chaim 25/12/07   55.   Labor and Meretz 08:55  |  Ralph 25/12/07   56.   Akiva Eldar is RIGHT. I endorse him fully 15:41  |  Neville Chamberlain 25/12/07   57.   Let`s Hope 19:19  |  Joel A. Levitt 25/12/07

Today Online Ministers lean toward freeing prisoners with 'blood on their hands' Responses: 67 J'lem Latin Patriarch: Occupying power must see to peace Responses: 71 Foreign Ministry: Syria feels peace must wait for next U.S. president Responses: 65 Olmert plans to streamline conversion system for immigrants Responses: 50 Rosner: Ron Paul insists Israel pushing Americans into Iran Responses: 266 IDF won't charge officers who fired cluster bombs in Lebanon war Responses: 211 More Headlines 19:13 Egypt slams Livni criticism over 'awful job' of securing border 19:14 Israel welcomes largest group of Iran olim since Islamic Revolution 17:33 Sneh: Budget fails to address security threat to home front 19:31 Top Republican candidate says supports dialogue with Iran 18:43 Masked settlers beat Palestinian farmers near Nablus 16:43 PM Olmert plans to streamline conversion of immigrants 13:22 Hamas releases senior Fatah sympathizer after six months 15:59 Police finish evacuation of Kfar Shalem residents in south T.A. 17:38 Dichter: Courts are too merciful in sentencing criminals Previous Editions Select Day 24 dec 23 dec 21 dec 20 dec 19 dec 18 dec 17 dec 16 dec 14 dec 13 dec 12 dec 11 dec

Special Offers Advertisement Inbal Jerusalem Hotel Unbeatable rates at the Finest hotel in Jerusalem Invest in Macedonia New Business Heaven in Europe Long-term Israel programs MASA is your gateway. More programs. More grants. Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Dead Sea Salt Beauty and skin care from the Dead Sea. Coupon code HAARETZ for 10% off! Holiday Inn and Crown Plaza Israel Lowest internet rate Guaranteed at ichotelsgroup.com !

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved