Cynicism about new Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts comes in a variety of flavors. There is the lazy cynicism of allegedly objective pundits: “Only a fool would believe that this could work.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to send a letter to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in which he will call on him to return to the negotiating table, promptly and without preconditions.
In the course of his campaign, Obama turned to the Jewish community to declare his support for Israel, saying that Israel\’s security is \”paramount.\”\nBut if he really believes this to be true, he will have to understand that words of support are not enough. He will have to work to achieve the one thing that can bring the Jewish state true security: true peace.
Although the Palestinians say wide gaps remain, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Olmert reportedly agreed in talks Sunday to make every effort to wrap up a full-fledged peace agreement by the end of the year. But both sides are skeptical.
Even for the complex Middle East it was a moment of exceptional irony. Some 180 Fatah loyalists fleeing a series of shootouts and summary executions by Hamas\non the streets of Gaza ran for the border — banking on the mercies of the enemy they usually target
Ehud Olmert\’s departure opens up the possibility of radical new directions in Israeli policy vis-a-vis the Palestinians, Syria and Iran
Leaders on both sides are optimistic. They see Olmert\’s moves as part of a new and wider American plan for Israeli-Palestinian accommodation.
The key to whether the Saudi plan becomes a serious option — even if adopted by the Palestinians — lies in Washington. The American goal remains a negotiated two-state solution based on Bush\’s \”vision\” that he outlined in June 2002.
The meeting Monday between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Bush at Bush\’s vast Texas ranch was to have affirmed the special U.S.-Israel relationship and paved the way forward in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process — a triumphant summit between two friends, farmers and statesmen.
In a keynote speech last week at the Herzliya Conference on Israel\’s National Security, Sharon declared that \”2005 will be the year of great opportunity,\” with \”a chance for an historic breakthrough in our relations with the Palestinians, a breakthrough we have been waiting for years.\”
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