The freeze as a test
Netanyahu needs to understand that the expansion of settlements cannot be reconciled with a two-state solution, which he promised to advance, and that his ability to stand up to right-wing pressure is a test of his leadership.
Haaretz EditorialDirect negotiations on a final-status agreement opened yesterday at Sharm al-Sheikh, in the shadow of the ongoing dispute over a freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is threatening to quit the talks should Israel resume construction over the Green Line. Israeli ministers and coalition MKs are threatening to undermine the government's stability should it decide to extend the freeze at the end of this month. And the American government is seeking a wonder drug that would remove the settlement freeze from the agenda and cool the atmosphere in a manner conducive to substantive discussion of the conflict's core issues.
As a palpable illustration of the danger settlement expansion poses to the diplomatic process, the Interior Ministry's regional planning and building council for Jerusalem has just announced its intention to convene in the coming days to discuss a plan to build 1,362 housing units in the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Givat Hamatos, which is beyond the Green Line. This announcement came just as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was conferring with Abbas in Sharm al-Sheikh. Thus once again, it appeared that Israel is not capable of stopping settlement activity.
The experience of the past year shows that with the help of goodwill and creativity on all sides, a formula can be found to restrain the expansion of settlements. Abbas has declared several times that he does not insist that Netanyahu publicly announce a settlement freeze; he would be content with a quiet pledge from Defense Minister Ehud Barak about a de facto freeze on construction in the West Bank.
Netanyahu needs to understand that the expansion of settlements cannot be reconciled with a two-state solution, which he promised to advance, and that his ability to stand up to right-wing pressure is a test of his leadership. The crisis over a building freeze during the negotiations is negligible compared to the challenges the prime minister will face in discussions of the core issues.
If, as he claims, Netanyahu wants to reach a final-status agreement within a year, he will soon have to make far more difficult decisions. If he does not want, or is unable, to confront his partners on the right over a temporary, partial freeze on building in the territories, how will he stand up to their pressure when the time comes to decide to evacuate dozens of settlements and tens of thousands of settlers?
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Eran Wolkowski | eranwol@haaretz.co.il |
| Photo by: Eran Wolkowski |
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givata ha'matos was built for ethiopian jews. it was a caravan village built north-east of gilo and just south-west of the arab village of beit safafa. according to the original plan for 4,000 housing units, about half were destined for the arab residents of beit safafa and the rest for the ethiopian jews. the entire area is west of the seperation fence.
No need to panic: by not extending the settlement freeze, by either declaration or de facto, he will avoid standing up to pressures not to evacuate dozens of settlements and tens of thousands of settlers. It is all under control.
The obstacle today, as always, is Palestinian refusal to accept a Jewish state. That has been the core issue of the conflict from 1947 through Camp David 2000, when Arafat rejected Israel's extraordinarily generous peace offer, made no counteroffer, and started a terror war (the Second Intifada) two months later. A final peace was there to be had. It remains on the table today. Unfortunately, there's no more sign today of a Palestinian desire for final peace than there was at Camp David. Even if Mahmoud Abbas wants such an agreement (doubtful but possible), he simply doesn't have the authority. To accept a Jewish state, Abbas needs some kind of national consensus behind him. He doesn't have even a partial consensus. Hamas, which exists to destroy Israel, controls part of Palestine (Gaza), and is a powerful rival to Abbas' Fatah even in his home territory of the West Bank. Indeed, this week, Abbas flatly told Al-Quds, the leading Palestinian newspaper, "We won't recognize Israel as a Jewish state." Nice way to get things off on the right foot. What will Abbas do? Unable and/or unwilling to make peace, he will exploit President Obama's tactical blunder, the settlement freeze imposed on Israel despite the fact that negotiations had gone on without such a precondition for 16 years. Abbas will walk out if the freeze is not renewed on Sept. 26. You don't need to be prescient to see that coming. Abbas has already announced that's what he'll do. That would solve all of Abbas' problems. It would obviate signing on to a final settlement, fend off Hamas, and make Israel the BAD guy. a 5 year old could have guessed what I just did
I wish to see Netanyahu reach peace with Abbas and i dream to see united Isreal with all arab nations ...Then only then, this area of the world will haven economically and Israel will be the hong knog or business macca to the world.
Bibi's biggest mistake is letting the boys in Jerusalem operate unchecked... because just in case no one's noticed, their timing is NOT coincidental! This is the third time - that I know of - since he's been PM, that they've timed this crap for the most obvious of reasons. And in case anyone's forgotten, they were doing it during Olmert's time also...every time Condaleeza Rice was heading to Israel! Too many entities are allowed to operate independently within the Israeli government and its extensions. There really is NO central control, and if there is - it's not being exerted. And more often than not, the Israeli government appears to be a motley assortment of buffoons(especially its minister in portfolios), all of them out for themselves and their agendas - and screw the common good - while constantly undermining and working contrary to each other and the PM. This menagerie is repeated at all levels of the government, municipalities, and even the courts. Sometimes you just can't help but picturing Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row". One thing sure though, there'll be no negotiated peace as long as all the clowns are allowed to dance to their own tune. An internationally imposed resolution will be the ONLY way it can ever be achieved.
1 israel is not a dictatorship. the pm is not involved in every municipal housing decision in the country. otherwise, he would be standing still like the proverbial lot. 2 the construct housing in givat ha'matos had been planned for years. half the housing was destined to the nearby arab village of beit safafa. you should not interpret every move as denigrating saint obama. children are born and children get married regardless of who is president.