Oh, if only they were actually this stupid:

The Palestinian Authority won't attend the US-sponsored peace conference in Annapolis unless an agreement is reached beforehand with Israel on all the final status issues, Saeb Erekat, a member of the PA negotiating team, said Tuesday. "The Palestinian position is very clear," he said. "We won't go to the conference unless we reach an agreement with Israel on the final status issues and a clear timetable for the implementation of any agreement between the two parties."

Erekat said the PA has managed to persuade Arab and Islamic countries to endorse the Palestinian position and to set conditions for attending the planned conference. "The Arabs are now united toward the conference," he said. "We have all endorsed the Arab peace plan [of 2002] as the basis for solving the Israeli-Arab conflict."

(1) Last March the Arab League locked the Right of Return into their peace plan, which makes it an obvious non-starter.

(2) Doesn't it kind of defeat the purpose of negotiations if you say that you're not willing to negotiate on anything unless the other side agrees beforehand to give you everything? Middle East peace negotiations are surreal in the degree to which they're structured against Israel (only Israel is expected to uphold agreements; Israel has to give up tangible land for intangible promises; etc) But this is kind of a new level no?

(3) Is Fatah really dumb enough to blow off the summit, thereby guaranteeing a boost in Hamas credibility and the potential end of Fatah rule over the West Bank? Almost certainly not, but the Palestinians have done dumber things before.

(4) Middle East negotiations 101: The more countries that Israel has to negotiate with at the same time, the more Israel is disadvantaged because they have to make multiple concessions just to get one concession. So the Arab states can unify their position, and - for instance - refuse to give Israel anything unless Israel capitulates fully to the Palestinians (as opposed to Israel negotiating Saudi issues with Saudi Arabia, Jordanian issues with Jordan, etc). So all those State Department efforts to get the maximum number of Arab states to attend the conference - that's been really helpful.

References:
* 'PA to skip summit if deal not reached' [JPost]
* Arab League Refuses To Drop "Mandatory Israeli Suicide" Demands From Saudi Plan [MR]
* Muslim Brotherhood Mocks People Who Think That the "Right of Return" Is A "Two State Solution" [MR]
* State Department Gets Bright Idea: Let's Screw Israel Even More By Bundling Syria Into The Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process [MR]

Previously:
* Abbas: "If You Don't Give Me Everything I Won't Accept Anything"
* Annapolis Summit Is Wonderful Lose-Lose For Israel
* Israeli Security Foils 7 Suicide Bombings From Fatah-Controlled West Bank