After days and days of blah blah, after endless streams of drivel concerning irrelevant matters of form and technique, the curtain rises. Nothing actually has happened on the ground except for the sad and troubling fact that Mr. Abbas has rescinded his principled position on negotiations. For years the Palestinians have justly refused to enter negotiations unless they are based on the June 1967 border and a complete freeze on all settlement activity. Israel and Kerry took Abbas for a ride and helped him see the light. This massive political retreat was supposed to be balanced by the prisoner release. But even this Israeli gesture is subject to "Palestinian good behavior" during the negotiations. More important, the prisoner release is in no sense comparable and cannot be considered in any form or fashion as compensation for a major diplomatic retreat on borders and settlement construction. Some friends have suggested that the Palestinians are weak and really have no other alternative. But if this is so, then this is the worst scenario and the worst time for joining the US Kerry show. Meanwhile the outlook is miserable and the Abbas leadership has confirmed the worst fears of many friends of the Palestinian cause.
Posted on: Thu, 01 Aug 2013 18:35:57 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015