CP has eyes set on September 26, 2010.
Cutting to the core of the matter is the ever-problematic and always illegal Israeli settlements on the West Bank. A partial moratorium on those construction projects expires next month. In the first week of September direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are set to begin in Washington.
No one needs to be reminded why the talks are extremely important. The Palestinians have said they won’t engage in talks if an extension isn’t granted. Who can blame them for that position, given the track record of Israel encroaching with more and more people and structures on land they do not rightfully own.
Therefore it is vital that Washington and the world players apply pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu to continue the moratorium. Without the moratorium these talks are never going to get past the photo-op stage. That would be a dreadful outcome.
While conservatives in the Likud Party are blustering about all sorts of political reprisals should Netanyahu continue the moratorium he might ask them where else can they go? Are those foaming in Israel for more building willing to destroy Netanyahu’s coalition government? I suspect they are not.
If these settlements were not such an important policy question it would be just interesting to see the political back-and-forth from Tel Aviv. But the world needs more than just cheap theatre from Israel. We need some real dialogue from the main players in the Middle East on some of the thorniest issues yet to be resolved in the peace talks. But nothing can happen if Israel sticks a pole into the eyes of the Palestinians by building more illegal homes.
Leadership will either come on September 26th from Netanyahu, or history will note another failure.
CP has eyes set on September 26, 2010.
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