Israel-Palestine: The Proximity Talks Starts Silently (Yenidunya)

On Wednesday, U.S. Mideast special envoy George Mitchell met Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A spokesman for the Prime Minister's Office said that the two had a three-hour discussion and described the atmosphere as good. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley also said the meeting was good and productive. Mitchell is scheduled to see Netanyahu again on Thursday and the leader of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas on Friday.

Israel-Palestine Opinion: Discrimination in East Jerusalem (Eldar)
Israel-Palestine: Proximity Talks to Begin on Wednesday? (Yenidunya)

However, there are still negative voices in Israel over the sustainability of indirect talks. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman expressed doubts about the Palestinians' intentions:

The Palestinians' indecision on holding indirect talks with all kinds of excuses raises questions about their seriousness. I hope that, despite this, we will succeed in holding talks in a proper fashion.

Meanwhile, Abbas was in Cairo and Amman on Wednesday for talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Jordan's King Abdullah II. Despite Israeli insistence that indirect talks are not for addressing key issues such as the final status of Jerusalem or the permanentl borders of the Palestinian state, Abbas declared, "Negotiations will focus on final status issues and there's no need to enter into details and small matters because we have had enough of that in the previous negotiations."

Abbas also pointed out the limits of talks in an interview with CNN. He warned that he would quit the discussions if Israel embarked on construction activity in the West Bank.

Israel-Palestine: Arab League Supports Indirect Talks (Yenidunya)

The Arab League nations backed indirect talks between Israelis and Palestinians on Saturday. Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa told reporters: "The timeframe of indirect talks will not change from what was agreed to in March, and there will be no change from indirect talks to direct talks until after the outcome of indirect talks has been assessed."

Middle East Analysis: Washington’s Latest Stick for an Israel-Palestine Solution

The top Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, filled in the detail on the "assessment of the indirect talks", "If Israel builds one house in the West Bank, Palestinians will immediately stop the negotiations." Arab foreign ministers added East Jerusalem to the agenda, warning that peace efforts would collapse if Israel continued to build settlements in the city as well as in the West Bank.



The Arab League, who gave the U.S. four months from March for so-called proximity talks between the Israelis and Palestinians, said that it had received "positive signs" from the United States.

Hamas, the Palestinian leadership in Gaza, criticized this support: "The endorsement and support for the Arab Committee to resume negotiations again, even after the occupation continues with its policies and settlements, is considered as accepting the situation as it is, and a new umbrella for it to commit more crimes and violations against the Palestinian people."

In contrast, Israeli officials welcomed the League's endorsement. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement, "Israel is willing to renew negotiations with the Palestinians at any time and at any place." President Shimon Peres added:

There is a readiness in Israel to solve the obstacles at the basis of peace negotiations. It took a little longer than we hoped for and problems are not yet solved but at least the way to handle them is open.

Israel has adopted the principle of two states for two peoples, and we extend our hand for an honest peace with our neighbours.

For now, Israeli officials are not saying a word about settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

On Sunday, Palestinian Authority Secretary General Tayeb Abdel Rahim said that U.S. President Barack Obama has assured the PA that Washington is committed to a two-state solution and that a future Palestinian state will be independent and have territorial continuity. Rahim added that the U.S. vowed to assign blame publicly to any party that takes provocative actions or jeopardizes prospects for peace.

London-based Arab-language newspaper Al-Hayat claims that Obama has promised Abbas a prolonged Israeli settlement freeze in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The report asserts that Saeb Erekat told the Arab League ministers Saturday night that Obama made his promise off the record in order to avoid conflict with right-wing factions in Israel.

Middle East Analysis: Washington's Latest Stick for an Israel-Palestine Solution

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Friday she expects indirect talks between Israel and the Palestinians to begin next week. However, this is not the end of the story.

Here is the Obama Administration’s most recent and biggest stick: an international summit run by the Quartet of Middle East peacemakers --- the United States, European Union, United Nations, and Russia --- to establish a Palestinian state if Israeli-Palestinian talks remain stalemated into September or October.

Israel-Palestine: The Golden Key to Proximity Talks? East Jerusalem (Yenidunya)

Why in September or October? First of all, Arab League foreign ministers are expected to demand that the negotiations show progress within four months. Secondly, the UN General Assembly will reconvene in late September. Thirdly, September is the first anniversary of Obama’s trilateral summit with the Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Lastly, 26 September marks the end of the 10-month Israeli freeze on construction in West Bank settlements.


So what does this mean for Israel? Simply put, Washington says that West Jerusalem might find itself facing an internationalization of the conflict, moving hand-in-hand with insistence on a solution based international law and UN Resolutions 242 and 338. This means a shift away from the basis of provisions for Israeli self-defense to the  consolidation of socio-political institutions seeing the Israeli occupation as the heart of problems in the region.

Meanwhile, Washington is increasing its pressure on Israel. On Friday, a Palestinian source told The Guardian that the Obama administration would consider allowing the UN Security Council to censure Israel over its activity in West Bank settlements, encouraging the Palestinians to participate in peace talks. This would mean a US abstention on any resolution. The same source also reported that David Hale, the deputy to US special envoy George Mitchell, told Abbas that the Obama administration views Israeli construction in East Jerusalem as "provocative."

Will the Obama Administration be able to convince other countries to support these measures, despite Israel’s “sensitive” bilateral relations with Russia and France? Washington may find ground if it presents this as an approach to not only the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but also other regional problems, such as Iran’s nuclear programme, Hamas-Fatah reconciliation talks, and Israel’s relations with Lebanon and Syria.

If the Obama Administration is really serious in its warning, this is more than welcome for the Palestinian Authority as it will decrease pressure on the PA in the Weskt Bank.  However, Palestinians are unlikely to welcome an international conference if they cannot get more than “gestures” from the Netanyahu Government.

Arab countries will take a similar position. The London-based Al-Quds Al-Arabi has already reported that Syria is opposed to the Palestinians returning to the negotiating table because "Israel has not made enough gestures of good faith, and in light of the fact that senior officials in Israel have been sounding threats against Damascus and Beirut".