Cynical Side Of Israeli Politics Reported Over Middle East Peace Talks
There is world-wide hunger for real movement with the stalled Middle East peace talks. There was hope again in the air with news yesterday from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that wide-ranging talks would start in Washington on September 2. But no one can be pleased, or surprised, by the reports in the news this morning of the same old cynical style of international politics being played by Israel.
The White House also faces deep skepticism, including among some Obama administration officials, about Mr. Netanyahu’s commitment to a peace deal.
Some top ministers from Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud party have suggested Mr. Netanyahu is entertaining peace talks mostly to maintain a smooth relationship with Washington, especially at a time of heightened concern over Iran’s nuclear program.
The top seven cabinet ministers who comprise the decision-making circle within Mr. Netanyahu’s government don’t believe it is possible to reach a final peace deal with the Palestinians in the near future, according to cabinet ministers and Netanyahu administration officials.
“No one really thinks the peace talks will succeed. But this is how the world judges us, and so we have no choice but to go through with the dance,” said a senior minister in Mr. Netanyahu’s government.
Mr. Netanyahu opposes the establishment of East Jerusalem as the capital of a Palestinian state; insists Israeli must retain large swaths of the West Bank, including parts of the Jordan Valley, as part of any peace deal; and opposes even a limited token right of return for Palestinian refugees. All these positions are non-starters for the Palestinians, Palestinian leaders say.
Seasoned Israeli negotiators also point to Mr. Netanyahu’s refusal thus far at least to establish a team of issue experts to work out details of a deal. Without such a team, former negotiators say, it will be hard to engage in substantive negotiations.
How does Isreal benefit from the current state of affairs, eagle?
These peace talks between Israel and Palestine are going nowhere indeed. And this is on purpose. The peace talks are organized to give a message to the world that Israel wants peace too but the reality is exactly the opposite!
How do you form a state with two parts of it are divided by another (less than friendly) state? How do you resolve a demand that Israel return to the ’67 borders when that would be suicidal? How do you hope for even a semi- decent relationship when school children are taught to hate from preschool forward? How do you ignore that past history has taught that whatever you give isn’t enough and is repaid with violence (re the Gaza withdrawal)?Why is it acceptable to have many, many Muslim states but it is wrong for Israel to try to maintain its Jewish identity (and no, they didn’t steal the land, the wonderful folks of the U.N. tried and failed to establish a two state solution)? Maybe they should try a THREE state solution…