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TechnoratiDeal on Gaza Makes Headway
As a result, several pieces in an elaborate diplomatic puzzle that seeks to resolve both a long stand-off in Israeli-Palestinian relations and a three-year showdown in Palestinian-Palestinian relations since Hamas won the Palestinian elections, are beginning to fall into place.
Even a full-fledged truce between Israel and Hamas, something that has proven elusive since the end of the 22-day Gaza war last January, suddenly seems not beyond the realm of the possible.
![[Palestinians wait in a bus in order to leave Gaza to Egypt, at the Rafah crossing border, southern Gaza Strip, Sunday, June 28, 2009. Egypt briefly opened its border with blockaded Gaza on Saturday, allowing thousands of residents to leave over the next three days. Some 5,000 Gaza residents have signed up to leave the blockaded territory, mostly medical patients seeking treatment abroad and Gazans holding foreign residency. (AP Photo/Eyad Baba)]](http://www.commondreams.org/files/article_images/gaza-2_0.jpg "gaza-2.jpg")
It is the Administration of U.S. President Barack Obama that generated the initial momentum and continues to provide much of the impetus for what could be a dramatic shift in the constellation of forces in the Israeli- Palestinian equation. But it is Egypt which is proving to be the linchpin - especially in regard to fostering a dramatic change within Palestinian domestic politics that would allow Hamas and the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority to work towards ending their power struggle.
Another round of talks between Fatah and Hamas representatives was getting under way in Cairo on Sunday with Egyptian mediators trying to convince the two sides to accept a reconciliation agreement that could yield a new Palestinian governing authority in Gaza.
The Egyptians, under their national intelligence chief, General Omar Suleiman and his deputy, Muhammad Ibrahim, are turning up the heat. They have designated Jul. 7 as a deadline, warning that if Fatah (represented by former prime minister Ahmad Qureia) and Hamas (headed by politburo deputy chief, Mussa Abu Marzouk) continue to remain at loggerheads, Cairo would withdraw its mediation.
According to reliable Palestinian and Israeli sources, key elements in the Egyptian proposal include the following: Hamas would agree to relinquish some of its control over the Gaza Strip; that would pave the way towards a ceasefire agreement with Israel; then, the subsequent lifting of the siege of Gaza through the opening of the border crossings with both Israel and Egypt would allow the setting up of a committee under Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas charged with administering Gaza.
Collaterally, military and security experts from Egypt and other Arab countries would be stationed in Gaza to oversee the revamped joint Palestinian security forces made up jointly of Fatah and Hamas units which would, inter alia, be responsible for supervising the border crossings on the Palestinian side.
Finally, new Palestinian elections are mooted for January next year.
The end result, backed actively by the U.S. and the EU, is to see the start of a process that that will pave the way for renewed negotiations between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. Egypt, the U.S. and the EU all recognise that without an internal Palestinian deal, Palestinian-Israeli talks would be futile.
Up until now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared himself ready to resume talks with the PA "today". But, bound as he is to the destruction of Hamas by coalition agreements with the ultra-nationalist flank of his government, Netanyahu has ruled out any contacts with the Palestinians were Hamas to be included in any shape or form with the PA. The PA, on the other hand, balks at any resumption of talks with Israel so long as Israel does not abide by the U.S. demand on settlements.
Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, for his part, is weighing in with a tantalising inducement to Israel - offering gradual normalising of relations between the pro-peace Arab states and Israel, even in advance of any sort of agreement towards peace with the Palestinians, but on the proviso that Israel makes a move on settlements first.
During his trip to Europe last week, Netanyahu discovered that even Israel's "best friends", France and Italy, insist on such a freeze. This was underlined again on Friday when the foreign ministers of the Quartet (the U.S., EU, Russia and the UN), meeting in Trieste in Italy, issued an identical demand.
Faced with such concerted pressure, Netanyahu is dispatching his Defence Minister - and currently closest political ally - Ehud Barak to Washington Monday with a counter-offer. Reportedly, Netanyahu may even go so far as to agree to a total three-month hiatus in settlement building to sway the Administration from its unyielding position.
It looks as if Netanyahu, despite his strong ideological commitment to the settlement enterprise, may be coming round to recognise that he can ill- afford to stand pat in face of this joint U.S.-Egyptian pincer strategy.
Whether, though, there is indeed a positive denouement in this effort to produce a more hopeful shape to Palestinian-Israeli, and Palestinian- Palestinian relations, may well be seen in a parallel development on a separate front: a prisoner exchange involving the abducted Israeli corporal Gilad Shalit for hundreds of Hamas and other Palestinian prisoners long held by Israel.
After three years of fruitless negotiations, a sudden flurry of reports suggests that a deal may not be far in the offing. Although denied by both Israel and Hamas, the reports persist. Pointedly, Barak said before departing for Washington that reports about an "imminent" Shalit deal are "harmful". He did not, however, rule out the reports.
Such a deal would be a salutary shot in the arm for the current elaborate efforts to move the region from simmering confrontation to an atmosphere conducive to possible progress on the diplomatic front, say Israeli officials.
The message is apparently not lost on either side.
For Israel, beyond the prisoner exchange and despite its abhorrence of Hamas, there is a decided interest in seeing this Egyptian-U.S. initiative for an internal Palestinian deal succeed. After all, say Israeli analysts, it would be hard for Israel to veto the establishment of a joint committee under Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Gaza - especially if the alternative is to leave Hamas exclusively in control of Gaza.
Similarly for Hamas, after the battering which it sustained during the Israeli assault, it would find it hard to turn its back on what could be an opportunity to rebuild Gaza, a process that has so far been stymied by the Israeli siege to the acute suffering that continues to afflict the Gaza population.
24 Comments so far
Show AllIsrael uses diplomatic negotiation as a tool facilitating the Gaza POW Camp, settlement/expansion, and war crimes.
It's like Ali's rope-a-dope technique, the key element being time passing, to the later rounds and later rounds as negotiations prattle on, a mask of civility, while all the construction is 24 hours a day under arc lights at night with Arabslave labor, building ceaselessly while propositions are excruciatingly explored, debated & discussed by serious men in committees.
Negotiations are the mask of civility, a needed ZioTool.
Where Is Palestine?
Where Is Palestine?
I find this talk of "freezing" settlement expansion a bit off-mark. I don't see why Israel insists on expanding the settlements if the overall goal is to withdraw from them and leave them for the Palestinian refugees to move into.
Allowing Israel to keep any of the settlements, or _any_ territory in the West Bank or Gaza, would be a disastrous precedent which would violate the principle invoked in Resolution 242: the inadmissibility of acquiring territory by force. The solution to the "crisis" is simple - Israel should simply withdraw completely, and pay off the Palestinian refugees driven out in 1948. This deal worked with Egypt when the Sinai was exchanged for a peace treaty which has proved lasting.
UN security council resolution 242 demanded: "Withdrawal of Israel armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict."
Read it carefully. "Withdrawal from territories" is not equal to "Withdrawal from ALL THE territories." Just as "take apples from the basket" is not the same as "take all the apples from the basket."
Israel have already withdrawn from 90% of the territories taken in 1967, (as part of the peace agreement with Egypt in 1978) therefore, 242 had already been implemented.
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This is the "zionist reading" of 242. However the preamble of 242 reveals what the text means: "emphasizing the inadmissibility of acquisition of territory by force". Reading this together with "withdrawal from territories" makes very plain what the resolution means, namely that Israel's area cannot increase as a result of the Six-day war. Additionally, the French and Spanish texts of 242 do state "the territories". 242 leaves open that Israel can exchange small areas with the Palestinians in mutual deals (area from the West Bank against area from inside Israel), it doesn't leave Israel the option to "keep" East Jerusalem or pieces of the West Bank.
If I steal a million dollars from you and give back some of it, are you happy or do you want the full sum plus damages?
Further, 242 is not implemented since the Palestinian refugees (2(b) in the Resolution) have not been granted return to their homes, or paid damages.
They're not settlements. They're squatters' outposts.
I vaguely remember in the not too distant past that Fatah was considered a violent troublemaker in the area. And yes, I remember that Hamas and Fatah were not on the same page. Kinda like the Dems and Repubs.
Having been abused badly at the hands of Israel, I'm not surprised at the split. Of course this is to Israels advantage is it not?
The inclusion of Egypt in the equation is puzzling me. Egypt is not a rich country. Are we stirring the pot further by offering money aid in return for ??? Perhaps I need a history lesson... Can someone help me out?
Egypt (and Jordan) both have peace treaties with Israel that they are loathe to
damage. Egypt possesses the one gate (Rafah) into and out of Gaza that does not belong to Israel; needless to say, both the U.S. and Israel have some say in when this gate is open and to whom. The opening schedule in the recent past has been totally erratic, depending on who wants to get in/out (I got in); to repeat, Egypt doesn't want to anger Israel by breaking the latter's blockade against Gaza-- and Egypt doesn't want the awful logistical problem of thousands of Palestinian refugees coming into Egypt if the border were indiscriminately open. Tricky situation.
Regardless, the blockade has to be broken before any more Gazans die from lack of essential humanitarian needs such as medical care, adequate food (Israel actually chooses which foods can go into Gaza individually, e.g. "will strawberries be included today, or will it be artichokes?" Truly. Having talked with ordinary Egyptian citizens in Cairo this month, I found that they have an almost childlike hope about Obama's administration and that they support the Palestinians strongly.
So, this is why Egypt is in the equation.
Hamas holds a majority of seats in the Palestinian Parliament (brand new building,
destroyed by Israel in the Dec-Jan 2009 Gaza assault) but most of them are in Israeli jails. Hamas is considered a more legitimate representative of the Palestinians than Fatah as Fatah--mainly operating in the West Bank-- has tended to
bend to Israel's will, not to the Palestinians. Hope that helps.
Zionist leopards do not change their spots. Finding a diplomatic solution with the Israeli position, is treating in good faith with known criminals who still are holding women and children hostage. How can a “fair” settlement be struck for the Palestinian people if they are not even allowed their chosen representatives to speak on their behalf.
I'm sure the only thing that Obama should say to Netanyahu is privately "Stop building and start implementing detailed plans to withdraw from all occupied Palestinian lands by the end of July, or say good bye to US support and aid, and with that you can look forward to a ONE state solution with a Jewish minority by 2020".
Hell think of all those gangsters, bringing their money back to New York, once the s..t hits the fan. If that won't bring Wall Street back, what will? Now, that's a recovery plan, eh!
"Zionist leopards do not change their spots."
Idiotic rhetoric.
'I'm sure the only thing that Obama should say to Netanyahu is privately "Stop building and start implementing detailed plans to withdraw from all occupied Palestinian lands by the end of July, or say good bye to US support and aid, and with that you can look forward to a ONE state solution with a Jewish minority by 2020".'
There will be a TWO state solution.
Get used to it. People spouting your nonsense have destroyed the peace process for years. You are a hindrance and a harm to the Palestinian people.
Harm to the Palestinian people?
Super CONCERN Ziotroll.
Now we will witness a moral travesty. Israel is an immoral and illegal occupation willing to disregard treaties at will.
More brainless, counterproductive rhetoric.
The brainless approach is to internalize AIPAC talking points.
Israel is and always has been an immoral and illegal invasion, and I applaud those resisting the genocidal oppression.
Given that Israel is and always has been such, how do you negotiate with them?
You are the one spouting internalized talking points, a.k.a. rhetoric: "immoral and illegal invasion" "genocidal oppression" "Israel is and always has been such" "how do you negotiate with them?"
Ya'all sound like a chorus of fools.
Faced with such concerted pressure, Netanyahu is dispatching his Defence Minister...Ehud Barak to Washington Monday with a counter-offer.
This is like Ribbentrop being dispatched to London to make soothing noises, while Werhmacht planners finalize operations for ethnic cleansing of the untermenschen (a particular speciality of the IDF for more than 60 years). At least the last Defense Minister of Israel was honest enough to admit that his government was preparing to visit a "holocaust" on the remaining Palestinians:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/29/israelandthepalestinians1
Oh give me a break! When the Nazis murdered 10 million people! Do you know how many Americans died in a war fighting them? Do you know how many more of the allies? (20 million from Russian alone!) Do you know how many American sacrificed their lives on the beaches of Normandy?
Do you know how many Americans have died in the last five years, each year, because of the HOLOCAUST called our HEALTH CARE SYSTEM? 105,000 per YEAR. How does THAT mathematical figure grab you?
You people are so full of it, over here on "commondreams.org" with your endless commentary on the tiny country of Israel in the Middle East where they want to drive the Jews into the sea. Hosting their Nazi emigres who headed over THERE, when they couldn't make into Latin America. After WW II.
So let go of the bogus act. Like you give a ***T about fascism or know what it means. Or have any understanding of thousands of years of antisemitism.
Not just a Ziotroll, but SUPER Ziotroll.
I pray that the Palestinians will not settle for less than they deserve. For that reason alone, Hamas cannot be excluded from negotiations. Fatah has been known to collaborate with the Israeli Zionists and therefore cannot be the sole representative of the Palestinians.
Oh "the Israeli Zionists" -- please. How do you people spout these liners with a straight face?
As for Hamas, they are on a suicide mission, taking the entire Palestinian people along for the ride. Why don't they use their college educations constructively, for a change?
"Praying" that they "won't settle for less" is pretty much wishing them the same road they've been going on. A la Hamas. In cohorts with dictatorships like those in IRAN.
I hope they use intelligent, educated, peaceful, and creative compromise for a change.
And drop the g-d awful rhetoric.
But I realize we don't have common dreams here.
Oh, look - yet another Ziotroll with his AIPAC talking points.
Israel is an immoral and illegal invasion, and I applaud the brave people who are standing up to the genocidal invasion.
If President Obama actually started a process that will bring justice to the Palestinians and allow everyone concerned to live peacefully....I'd forgive his domestic failure with no problem. In 2012 the next President will be able to repair the damage left by Obama, Pelosi and the Democrats..
If the left-wing in America actually focused on problems really and truly affecting the American people (like healthcare, social security, jobs), instead of their unconscious antisemitism and obsession with Israel, I might actually begin to forgive their present failures (for example, with putting pressure on Congress for meaningful changes in this country, like a single payer healthcare system) because they are no longer what they were once cracked up to be, and spend their time at demonstrations with Israeli flags painted with swastikas, instead, and think that decent, thinking, educated Americans would actually walk alongside them, as they carry those things.
This guy is a troll trying to change the subject, I hope we can keep from feeding these beasties!
People like you make enemies for the Palestinian people. And it was henry8 i am i am who changed the subject to American domestic affairs.
And, you don't keep your promises.
:wink: