January 21, 2012

On September 23, 2011, and likely as a lure to derail Palestinian efforts seeking formal UN recognition, the Peace Quartet called on the Palestinians and Israelis to submit within 90 days detailed position paper on borders and security issues.

Israel demanded, and of course, received further 30 days extension. Hence, the due date was set for January 26, 2012. The proposals intended to serve as a framework to resume direct negotiation between Palestinians and Israelis.

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times on October 25, 2011, former British Prime Minister and head of the Peace Quartet, Tony Blair, described this process: "Once we see where the detailed proposals…, then we can see how big the division is."

Inferring that before restarting direct talks, the two parties must first submit "detailed proposals."

On November 14, 2011, Palestinians submitted their blueprint for peace. The proposal, even before the start of negotiation, consented unwisely to changing the 1967 borders, demilitarized state and not to enter into any alliance with "enemies" of Israel.

One day after receiving the Palestinian’s proposal, a Peace Quartet delegation met with Israel’s representative, Isacc Molho, requesting Israel to submit a counterproposal as stipulated in the Quartet’s meetings in September and October 2011.

Despite the Peace Quartet’s unambiguous statements, reaffirmed in Blair’s interview with the LA Times, Israel rejected the Quartet’s demand insisting that any proposal must be presented to Palestinians in direct negotiation only.

Succumbing to Israeli conditions and using Jordan (who replaced the disgraced Mubarak) as the new vassal intermediary, the Peace Quartet cajoled the Palestinian authority to accept Israel’s new conditions. Meanwhile, the Quartet affirmed its understanding that January 26, 2012 remains the deadline for Israel to submit its proposal on border and security issues.

Soon after the opening session on January 2, 2012, Palestinians resubmitted two large documents outlining their vision for peace. Israel on the other hand posited general outlines for discussion and insisted that the deadline for their counterproposal was 90 days after the first meeting.

The last 20 years of negotiation has proven over again, Israel is only interested in more time to create new facts on the ground, not peace. At the UN Security Council, because of the US veto power, Israel is beyond reproach even when violating America’s own Peace Road Map.

All this while Israel is moving at fast pace building "Jewish only" settlements on Palestinian land altering local demographics. These very actions were described recently by Deputy British Prime Minister, Nick Clegg as "… deliberate vandalism… continued existence of illegal settlements risks making… a two-state solution becomes unviable."

Sadly, Israel’s stonewalling is sanctioned by an impotent Peace Quartet and assured impunity by the Quartet’s eunuch leader Tony Blair. In the same interview with the LA Times, Blair responded to a question on possible "punishment" to force an international resolution, stating "there is no way you can punish."

If memory helps, it was during hypocritical Blair’s reign when the international community, including his own British forces, "punished" Serbia for peace in Kosovo; sent troops to implement peace in Bosnia; war in Afghanistan and killing over a million Iraqi in unjust economic sanctions and two wars.

To that end, united Palestinian leadership must seriously reassess the never ending serpentine peace process. They should take clue from the blooming Arab spring exposing the US and Europe’s duplicitous affection towards Arab democracy while cosseting the only remaining racialist system in the world.

See also: INTERVIEW WITH JAMAL KRAYEM KANJ: AUTHOR CHILDREN OF CATASTROPHE

*******

About the Author

*Jamal Kanj writes frequently on Arab World issues and the author of "Children of Catastrophe, Journey from a Palestinian Refugee Camp to America ", Garnet Publishing, UK. Jamal’s articles can be read at www.jamalkanj.com, his email address is jkanj@yahoo.com

Source