Thursday, September 2, 2010
The "peace" circus opens:- Can peace be achieved? Inside Story
Direct peace talks between Israelis and palestine are set to begin on Thursday after being frozen for two years. But with Hamas noticeably missing, can real peace be achieved? Is it time for the other players to recognise them? Or could talks with the Palestinian Authority simply make Hamas less relevant?
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But with Hamas noticeably missing, can real peace be achieved?
ReplyDeleteNo. They are, for better or worse, part of the leadership of the Palestinians. I am so disppointed nobody within the adminstration has convinced Obama to push for Hamas' inclusion in peace talks. I suppose they are taking their cues from the Israelis and their suporters. No thinking outside the box allowed. What a waste.
<span>But with Hamas noticeably missing, can real peace be achieved?
ReplyDeleteNo. They are, for better or worse, part of the leadership of the Palestinians. I am so disppointed nobody within the adminstration has convinced Obama to push for Hamas' inclusion in peace talks. I suppose they are taking their cues from the Israelis and their supporters. No thinking outside the box allowed. What a waste.</span>
If an agreement is reached with Abass, how likely it would be implemented without the consent of those factions who disagree like Hamas and many others? Impossible. It's a recipe for civil war..
ReplyDelete<span> just cannot believe that this is what George Mitchell really wants either. He is a good man who knows we have to inlcude all the main factions.
ReplyDeleteI recall this article from January:
If Mideast special envoy George Mitchell wants to end his career with his reputation intact, it is time for him to resign. He had a distinguished tenure in the U.S. Senate -- including a stint as majority leader -- and his post-Senate career has been equally accomplished. He was an effective mediator of the conflict in Northern Ireland, helped shepherd the Disney Corporation through a turbulent period, and led an effective investigation of the steroids scandal afflicting major league baseball. Nobody can expect to be universally admired in the United States, but Mitchell may have come as close as any politician in recent memory.
Why should Mitchell step down now? Because he is wasting his time. The administration's early commitment to an Israeli-Palestinian peace was either a naïve bit of bravado or a cynical charade, and if Mitchell continues to pile up frequent-flyer miles in a fruitless effort, he will be remembered as one of a long series of U.S. "mediators" who ended up complicit in Israel's self-destructive land grab on the West Bank. Mitchell will turn 77 in August, he has already undergone treatment for prostate cancer, and he's gotten exactly nowhere (or worse) since his mission began. However noble the goal of Israeli-Palestinian peace might be, surely he's got better things to do.
http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/01/22/time_for_george_mitchell_to_resign</span>
<span><span>I just cannot believe this is what George Mitchell really wants either. He is a good man who knows we have to inlcude all the main factions.
ReplyDeleteI recall this article from January:
If Mideast special envoy George Mitchell wants to end his career with his reputation intact, it is time for him to resign. He had a distinguished tenure in the U.S. Senate -- including a stint as majority leader -- and his post-Senate career has been equally accomplished. He was an effective mediator of the conflict in Northern Ireland, helped shepherd the Disney Corporation through a turbulent period, and led an effective investigation of the steroids scandal afflicting major league baseball. Nobody can expect to be universally admired in the United States, but Mitchell may have come as close as any politician in recent memory.
Why should Mitchell step down now? Because he is wasting his time. The administration's early commitment to an Israeli-Palestinian peace was either a naïve bit of bravado or a cynical charade, and if Mitchell continues to pile up frequent-flyer miles in a fruitless effort, he will be remembered as one of a long series of U.S. "mediators" who ended up complicit in Israel's self-destructive land grab on the West Bank. Mitchell will turn 77 in August, he has already undergone treatment for prostate cancer, and he's gotten exactly nowhere (or worse) since his mission began. However noble the goal of Israeli-Palestinian peace might be, surely he's got better things to do.
http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/01/22/time_for_george_mitchell_to_resign</span></span>
There already is a Palestinian civil war. This is the biggest reason why the friends of Palestine around the world are unable to unite. How to help Palestine without exxacerbating the Palestinian civil war.
ReplyDeleteVZA, the reason Hamas isn't part of the peace talks is:
-Hamas and Fatah have been unable to form a national unity government. They are both at fault for this.
-Hamas refused to join these peace talks alongside Abbas, Israel and the Quartet [US, EU, UN, Russia], Jordan and Egypt.
Hamas is caught up in its own war against the Arab League and all the Arab dictators [Hamas being the Palestinian branch of the Islamic brotherhood.] [For the record the Arab dictators suck . . . sometimes Hamas has a point. ]
In my view, Hamas for the sake of the Palestinian people should make friends with the Arab dictators and Fatah. Hamas should also reach out warmly to the Quartet. Then negotiate alongside Abbas and Bibi.
At least find out what Hamas can get and what Hamas has to give up to get it.
I feel that giving settlers dual citizenship and letting them live on inside a Palestinian state in desegregated neighborhoods as Palestinian citizens contributing to Palestinian society has to be seriously considered. Only then would Israel consider borders of a nature than TGIA and others would consider fair.
Simultaneously reserving a large percentage of seats in Israeli universities for Palestinians as a type of "right of return" needs serious consideration.