Sources familiar with the ongoing peace talk efforts say that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signaled “unprecedented readiness” for a peace deal with Israel during his meeting at the White House last week, a sign that the peace process could be getting a big shot in the arm.
This is expected to be a big focus of President Trump’s visit to Israel later this month, as Trump is expected to both emphasize Abbas’ willingness to make a deal, and to try to get assurances from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he is too.
That’s going to be a problem, as always, since the Israeli far-right government is deeply split on peace as a general proposition, and any such commitment by Netanyahu, even an empty one, could have huge political ramifications for him.
In the past, Israel’s “commitment” to peace has deeply rested on the narrative of the Palestinians not being ready, or somehow inherently unable to make peace. This has allowed them to go through the motions on previous processes, before finally ditching them outright.
israel will prop up abbas as long as israel keeps steeling land and terrorizing without complaint for abbas
Palestine will be compensated for the settlements. Some new variant of the Lieberman Plan will be offered. The problem was Palestinians living in the Umm al-Fahm did not want to be transferred to Palestinian rule. Settlements will be part of a land swap, this is why Abbas is not overly concerned about protesting them externally right now. They are a bargaining chip.
I have no idea how will something like this be accomplished. Let us for a moment forget the political ramifications for Israel’s politicians. Just look at the map. Two state solution is simply no longer possible, as the Israeli only road network, and walls, created a system of bantustans, and there is hardly any geographic solution left. That has been CLEAR to everyone all along. What is open is a one state solution, with some form of cantons for Palestinians, so that they can have their language used — and have a limited administrative, but not economic or military functions. Unlike bantustans, these isolated Palestinian areas are not meant to be developed at all. The objective is to prolong the process for next one hundred years, until most Palestinians leave, and numbers change. Trump is trying to introduce one state solution, so that the discussion is really about civil rights, not territorial rights. If there is any territorial concession, it would more likely be a deal with Jordan, a country with over 50 percent of Palestinian population.
Neocons will be dead set against any kind of deal that is not a pure process game, a process that can be stretched another quarter of a century.
Trump on the other hand has also little choice. He is a target of neocon international, and has to do something to make them uneasy, not just let them take shots at him. If there is one thing that will split the neocons and their enablers, it is deal with Palestinians. There will be those that will want to
lock in the territorial gains, and deal with the Palestinian entity in the context of regional settlement. Others are dead set against it, and want the Middle East to continue imploding, with the Saudi short-termers enabling the process under the umbrella of a religious fundamentalism, and the destruction of secular states. Neocons know that secular states can and be strong, a no-no for neocon vision of Middle East. So, their destruction was nicely on the way, until snags hit. Egypt did not get a synthetic president — malleable to
there neocon and Salafi international. Iraq nicely controlled, Libya nicely controlled — not happening. Turkey under
Your theory sounds well thought out & plausible. So much so that I am going to save a copy. Thank you.
Of course. How easy-why has it taken so long then?
This guy is not persident. Hiz term expired years ago…
He needs to be re-elected to perform any BINDING agreements…
Israel and Palestine HAVE been at peace- and peace isn’t working out too well for the Palestinians. Give them INDEPENDENCE.
While all sides remain convinces of the righteousness of their position, no peace is possible.
Seems clear everybody knows about Israel….& the whole show there is about murder, theft & deception….the problem is too few are prepared to speak YET but they will….Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere…. Israel will likely lose in the end because the whole racket is based on fraud & deception & they can’t subjugate 7 Billion people who know about their 70 yrs of evil crimes with their Western propaganda & “political” & military shenanigans forever……