Unity Government? No Unity Government? The Solution Is the Same - Israeli Concessions
So there's this problem. Secretary Rice is in the Middle East to do this peace thing, but there's seriously no one around to talk to:
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will arrive Wednesday for a visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority, during which she plans to meet with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert , Defense Minister Amir P eretz, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni as well as Fatah leaders. Rice, who will be arriving from Egypt, will focus on the violent intra-Palestinian crisis and its affect on the local Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Rice's Mideast tour is intended to strengthen Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ leadership, in attempt to establish a unity government that recognizes Israel and all the PLO’s previous diplomatic agreements. Rice is slated to meet with Olmert Wednesday night, and with Peretz and Livni on Thursday. In light of the worrying developments in the PA, sources at the Prime Minister’s Office said, "Rice's arrival is a 'maintenance visit.' Right now the Palestinian issue is dead. There is no one to talk to, and therefore all talks of a Palestinian unity government and diplomatic dialogue are off the table. We have nothing to clarify to the Americans, since we don’t have any stances opposing them."
How great is the deal that the Palestinians have worked out with the rest of the world? Just when things are about to get really bad - just as it seems that absolutely no one will ever be in a position to really recognize Israel - diplomats rush in to... pressure Israel into concessions anyway:
But other voices heard in Israel noted that despite the chaos in the PA, Israel might try to help Abbas. Security officials told Ynet that Israel was readying for the possibility of easing restrictions towards the Palestinians after the PA has been under economic blockade for months. The same officials told Ynet that in meetings ahead of Rice’s visit, the possibility of "fortifying Abbas" through humanitarian gestures was discussed. However, it has not yet been decided what restrictions would be lifted, and discussions on the matter were ongoing.
What's the definition of insanity again?
But hopefully, Israeli concessions in the face of absolutely no reciprocation won't have to happen. There's a very slim chance that Israel will be able to make concessions in the face of simply disingenuous promises of future reciprocation. Qatar doesn't technically recognize the right of Israel to exist (they have economic but no diplomatic relations) - and yet, very helpfully, they've decided to pitch in and make everything better:
Qatar has come up with a plan to end the infighting between Fatah and Hamas, establish a Palestinian unity government and release captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has agreed to the plan, which was presented to him by Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad Al-Thani. The foreign minister also presented the plan to Khaled Meshal, the Damascus-based head of Hamas' political bureau, but Hamas' position on the matter is not yet clear. Palestinian sources said Meshal has agreed to the plan in principle and that Abbas has sent a representative to Meshal to finalize the details. However, senior Hamas officials in Gaza told Haaretz that Hamas had not agreed to the plan. According to the Qatari plan, the Palestinian unity government will in effect accept the conditions that Israel and the international community have imposed - recognition of Israel and agreements made with Israel, and an end to violence - which will allow for the renewal of peace talks. The Palestinian government envisioned in the plan will be headed by an independent figure who is not aligned with any Palestinian faction, and will include ministers from Hamas, Fatah and other factions, as well as those not affiliated with any party.
In all honesty, Qatar actually does count as a "moderate" state when it comes to establishing relations with Israel (they'll at least pay lip service to the idea that Israel isn't going away any time soon). No seriously - that's a great idea. That way, if we all squint just right and really use our imaginations, we can almost convince ourselves that 30 percent of the Palestinian public doesn't want to destroy Israel right this instant.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will arrive Wednesday for a visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority, during which she plans to meet with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert , Defense Minister Amir P eretz, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni as well as Fatah leaders. Rice, who will be arriving from Egypt, will focus on the violent intra-Palestinian crisis and its affect on the local Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Rice's Mideast tour is intended to strengthen Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ leadership, in attempt to establish a unity government that recognizes Israel and all the PLO’s previous diplomatic agreements. Rice is slated to meet with Olmert Wednesday night, and with Peretz and Livni on Thursday. In light of the worrying developments in the PA, sources at the Prime Minister’s Office said, "Rice's arrival is a 'maintenance visit.' Right now the Palestinian issue is dead. There is no one to talk to, and therefore all talks of a Palestinian unity government and diplomatic dialogue are off the table. We have nothing to clarify to the Americans, since we don’t have any stances opposing them."
How great is the deal that the Palestinians have worked out with the rest of the world? Just when things are about to get really bad - just as it seems that absolutely no one will ever be in a position to really recognize Israel - diplomats rush in to... pressure Israel into concessions anyway:
But other voices heard in Israel noted that despite the chaos in the PA, Israel might try to help Abbas. Security officials told Ynet that Israel was readying for the possibility of easing restrictions towards the Palestinians after the PA has been under economic blockade for months. The same officials told Ynet that in meetings ahead of Rice’s visit, the possibility of "fortifying Abbas" through humanitarian gestures was discussed. However, it has not yet been decided what restrictions would be lifted, and discussions on the matter were ongoing.
What's the definition of insanity again?
But hopefully, Israeli concessions in the face of absolutely no reciprocation won't have to happen. There's a very slim chance that Israel will be able to make concessions in the face of simply disingenuous promises of future reciprocation. Qatar doesn't technically recognize the right of Israel to exist (they have economic but no diplomatic relations) - and yet, very helpfully, they've decided to pitch in and make everything better:
Qatar has come up with a plan to end the infighting between Fatah and Hamas, establish a Palestinian unity government and release captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has agreed to the plan, which was presented to him by Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad Al-Thani. The foreign minister also presented the plan to Khaled Meshal, the Damascus-based head of Hamas' political bureau, but Hamas' position on the matter is not yet clear. Palestinian sources said Meshal has agreed to the plan in principle and that Abbas has sent a representative to Meshal to finalize the details. However, senior Hamas officials in Gaza told Haaretz that Hamas had not agreed to the plan. According to the Qatari plan, the Palestinian unity government will in effect accept the conditions that Israel and the international community have imposed - recognition of Israel and agreements made with Israel, and an end to violence - which will allow for the renewal of peace talks. The Palestinian government envisioned in the plan will be headed by an independent figure who is not aligned with any Palestinian faction, and will include ministers from Hamas, Fatah and other factions, as well as those not affiliated with any party.
In all honesty, Qatar actually does count as a "moderate" state when it comes to establishing relations with Israel (they'll at least pay lip service to the idea that Israel isn't going away any time soon). No seriously - that's a great idea. That way, if we all squint just right and really use our imaginations, we can almost convince ourselves that 30 percent of the Palestinian public doesn't want to destroy Israel right this instant.
