WHOSE ZOOMIN' WHO/ Obama's peace initiative

WHO’S ZOOMIN’ WHO?
With apologies to Aretha Franklin, this seemed most appropriate to describe what happened in Washington on Wednesday. The start of the face to face “peace” talks between Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Abbas.
The amount of diplomatic hot air in the room could have been mistaken for a חמסין (an extremely hot desert wind).
Starting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who opines, unconvincingly, “I understand very well the disappointments of the past”. If she did, she would not be sitting in that room drawing moral equivalency between the participants. Dante’s idea that the “hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in time of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality” describes the current situation. A group of people sitting in a room, none of whom want to be there, while all are fully aware that they will come to no acceptable agreement except the agreement to participate in this charade. Telling the truth would not be acceptable as it would force reality in and neutrality out.
What is the truth?
Mahmoud Abbas, as President of the Palestinian Authority, is unelected. His term as President expired in January 2009. No elections have been held, because he knows he cannot win. He is so weak politically that even if he wanted to sign a peace deal, which is doubtful, he has no power to enforce it. In his remarks he refers to his organization as the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) not the Palestinian Authority, which the West pretends is an actual governmental entity.
His statement that “we are not starting over” takes him back to the 1993 Oslo accords which he refers to as a “document of mutual recognition”, when have they actually recognized Israel? The Oslo Accords cost Israel over one thousand lives from terrorism. Yitzhak Rabin paid with his life for this attempt at peace, while Yasser Arafat was rewarded with power and prestige from the international community, while continuing his thuggery against his own people as well as Israel.
What this tells us is that the west is so desperate to have a “moderate” to deal with it is willing to grasp any straw, even in this case, a “strawman”. Abbas cannot hold an election for fear of losing it and his second in command Salaam Fayad received only 2% of the vote in the last election. Hamas, it is widely reported, would take over the West Bank if an election was held. It is clear the contest right now is not between Israel and the PA but between the PLO and Hamas. There are regular reports in Israeli and Arab news media that Hamas is gaining strength in the West Bank. If Hamas succeeds in its goal to take over this territory what will the U.S. do? Perhaps name Mahmoud Zahara, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, as the moderate. So far that is as realistic as any idea coming from either America or Europe.
Zahara states today on the Hamas website, that “Abbas does not represent the Palestinian people”. He sites the cowardly murder of four Israelis driving on a road (from which Israel removed checkpoints as a gesture of goodwill) as a “heroic operation”. Calls over the loudspeakers in Gaza to come out and celebrate this brutal action, were acted on immediately as we saw Palestinians in Gaza dancing and celebrating in the streets. Of course, Abbas had no choice, he had to denounce this, as his life and presidency exist because of the protection and support of the west’s unreal views on the Middle East.
Major Garrett, of Fox News reported on Thurday morning one of the silliest ideas coming from these “talks”. Divide Jerusalem in three, one part Arab, one part Jewish and the third part would be some type of international or third party controlled entity. This is indicative of the kind of nonsense these talks can inspire. Let’s examine this one idea, obviously presented by someone completely bereft of knowledge of Jerusalem’s recent past, as well as its ancient history.
Under the 1947 United Nations partition plan, the territory of Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, would be divided into one part Arab, one part Jewish with Jerusalem internationalized. Did that work? Only the Jews agreed (unhappily) but still they agreed. The Arabs said NO and war ensued. The result was Jerusalem, no longer an internationalized city, falling into Jordanian hands during which time every Jew had to leave or die. Jewish property was confiscated and/or destroyed. The Jewish quarter was destroyed, the historical Hurva syngogue blown up, Jewish access to holy places forbidden. This situation remained until Israel reunited the city in 1967. From then until today it is open to all faiths equally although Jews have a little less equality in their effort to please everyone, a Jewish disease.
Jews may be slow learners, it did take nearly 2000 years to understand we cannot live without sovereignty, nonetheless we do eventually learn. There is overwhelming consensus among Jews that Jerusalem will not fall again.
Abbas and the PLO leadership say “We want a Palestinian state”. Let’s examine that: An Arab state in that area was declined in 1948. By 1967 it was determined by the Arabs that a different tactic was needed, as military attacks weren’t working. From now on they will call themselves “Palestinians”. Fine, call yourself whatever name you want even though the records of discussions in the United Nations concerning this area drew angry disagreement from these same people claiming they were not Palestinians but Arabs or Syrians (this area was once Greater Syria)
Up to this point, no one in the Arab world was calling for a Palestinian state, however we will accept they changed their minds as well as their name. What it takes to build a state if they really want one, is for another blog. For now the Palestinians have done very little except to depend on the west and oddly, Israel to provide for their economic well being. If we focus on what Abbas says he wants it is:
1: All settlement activities to cease, no Jews can live in Arab areas although there is no problem with Arabs living in Jewish areas where many do, in fact, live.
2. Gaza Embargo totally removed, although Abbas has no control over Gaza. How would he guarantee offensive weapons would not be shipped in to be used against Israel?
3. Remove the IDF from the West Bank. This is not serious since Abbas is well aware that the IDF presence is what keeps stability, thus keeping him alive.
4. All final status items, borders, refugees, etc should be debated now rather than at the end. This of course, is impossible without solving the most significant issue, the recognition of the Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people, first.
Compare these requirements to those of Prime Minister Netanyahu:
1. No potential for mass smuggling of arms into the West Bank, and demilitarization.
2. Recognition of Israel as the nation state of the Jewish people as the Arabs want Palestine recognized as the nation state of the Palestinian people.
3. Complete end to conflict, including incitement in schools and public places.
What does President Barack Obama want? This is difficult to discern. He hasn’t expressed any specific goals other than a “peace agreement”. Two thoughts President Obama should consider. First from Rabbi David Meyer: “Compromise and dialogue are not goals in themselves, if with whom is not asked.”
If, as it seems, President Obama is looking for consensus, this could happen in the manner that Abba Eban famously described it. “A consensus means everyone agrees to say collectively what no one believes individually.
John F Kennedy understood negotiations well, when Nikita Kruschev billdozed him in their first meeting in Moscow, he learned a valuable lesson. Know your adversary, don’t just think you know him, learn all you can from original sources. JFK: “Peace does not rest in the charters and covenants alone..it lies in the hearts and minds of all people.”
Do the Arabs want peace with a country they cannot bring themselves to recognize as a legitimately, sovereign country?
I know Israel wants peace, but not at any price and certainly not to please the International community or even the United States. Jews are not suspicious of their detractors because of the Shoah, but because of Arab and World behavior.
If President Obama wants an agreement, he must first convince Israel that he is attuned to the moral values of democracy, human rights and trustworthiness that the United States and Israel embody.