Singer thinks he knows what that means. Singer is making a lot of assumptions here. Since Leiberman threatened to consider annexing Area C in the wake of the PA’s unilateral move, there has been no further reference to this possibility. In fact it was reported that Obama threatened Israel with dire consequences if it did so. I don’t recall Leiberman talking about annexation in response to the UNESCO admission. I would support the move but this government wouldn’t. Remember Mofaz also offered to give the Palestinians land equal to 100%. Besides, aside from admission to UNESCO, nobody is acting like their a state. Nor is anyone declaring Oslo is dead though they are acting like it.. Ted Belman
Palestine – Israel Has Had Enough
– David Singer
The Palestinian Authority’s decision to unilaterally seek Palestinian statehood at the United Nations and UNESCO – in breach of its obligations under the Oslo Accords and the Roadmap – has propelled Benjamin Netanyahu and Shaul Mofaz into forming Israel’s government of national unity this week.
This was made abundantly clear when one of the four priorities announced by both leaders was:
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“to move forward responsibly in the peace process”
With the new Government now controlling 78% of the votes in the Knesset – a new offer is set to be made by Israel to the Palestinian Authority in a final endeavour to resolve the allocation of sovereignty in the West Bank and Gaza between Jews and Arabs.
Israel has endured the machinations of the Palestinian Authority for the last 19 years. Its continuing obduracy in demanding – as a minimum – a Palestinian State equal in size to 100% of the West Bank and Gaza – with its capitol in Jerusalem – has been a major stumbling block in ending the conflict.
Successive Israeli Prime Ministers of differing political persuasions have laboured in vain to try and achieve an equitable division of these territories between Israel and the Palestinian Authority within the context of a negotiated peace treaty.
Refusing to budge from 100% is hardly a basis on which anyone can ever hope to successfully negotiate.
The Palestinian Authority will now pay dearly for its mistake in breaking away from the Oslo Accords and the Roadmap to unilaterally seek recognition of statehood at the United Nations and UNESCO in September and October 2011.
These disastrous diplomatic forays were made outside – and in breach of – the negotiating framework established by the Oslo Accords and the Bush Roadmap – which provided in Clause XXXI (7) of the 1995 Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip:
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“Neither side shall initiate or take any step that will change the status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip pending the outcome of the permanent status negotiations.”
President Obama’s attempt to counsel the Palestinian Authority against taking such action was made very clear when addressing world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly:
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“Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the U.N. If it were that easy, it would have been accomplished by now.”
Notwithstanding the threat by America to veto any such move for statehood – the application was pressed – only to find it ignominiously rejected before it was even voted on by the Security Council.
Undeterred – the Palestinian Authority then sought international recognition of Palestinian statehood at UNESCO – where it succeeded – despite Israel and America’s strong opposition.
America immediately suspended the payment its membership dues to UNESCO under a domestic 1994 law on its statute books – which prohibited payments to:
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“any affiliated organization of the United Nations which grants full membership as a state to any organization or group that does not have the internationally recognized attributes of statehood.”
Palestine’s application did not comply with the internationally recognized attributes of statehood laid down in the Montevideo Convention 1933 – yet UNESCO had recognized Palestinian statehood in breach of such well established international law.
None of the 194 member states of UNESCO – including Israel and America – has taken any steps since to try and reverse UNESCO’s unlawful decision or withdraw its delegates from UNESCO in protest – even though 87 of them did not affirmatively vote for Palestine‘s admission as a member state of UNESCO.
Their inaction amounts to recognition of Palestinian statehood and an end to Palestinian homelessness – resulting in the achievement of the two state solution outside the Oslo Accords and the Roadmap.
This state of Palestine is not required to be demilitarized nor recognize Israel as the Jewish State – as Israel had been demanding as conditions for its recognition of a Palestinian State.
So where is Israel going to go from here in “moving forward responsibly in the peace process“?
A clue can be found in the following views expressed by Mofaz in November 2009 – which remain equally relevant in 2012:
“Today in Gaza, 100% of the territory and 100% of the population is under Hamas control.
In the West Bank, there are three types of areas; Area A, B, and C.
Palestinians have security and civilian responsibility in Area A.
In Area B, Israel has security responsibility, the Palestinians have civilian sovereignty.
Security and civilian issues are controlled by Israel in Area C
Today, Areas A and B represent 40% of the West Bank territory and 99.2% of the Palestinian population. But there is no continuity between the Palestinians in Areas A and B.
I am suggesting adding 20% of Area C to give full continuity to the Palestinian state, with 60% of the territory in the West Bank and 99% of the population.”
On Jerusalem – Mofaz was very definite:
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“ The issue of Jerusalem should be discussed in a very sensitive way. There is no chance to divide Jerusalem. It will remain united as the capital of the state of Israel and we have to find a way to handle the daily life of the Jewish and Palestinian people in Jerusalem.
On the vexed issue of building in Jewish settlements in the West Bank during negotiations – Mofaz was clear:
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“We will not freeze the life or building in Ma’ale Adumim, Gush Etzion, Efrat, Ariel and some others, all of which are known as the settlement blocs.
Regarding the areas that will be the future Palestinian state, I believe that we should consider the continuation of the life of the people, but we should not build in this area because it will be under the sovereignty and responsibility of the Palestinian state.
This makes it very clear which areas we will continue to build in and which we should allow daily life to continue but without any building.“
Mofaz’s views – if accepted by Netanyahu – will form the basis for a final offer that Israel will be making to the Palestinian Authority.
No doubt such offer will be rejected – because it would mean a substantial diminution in territory from the last offer made by Israel’s Prime Minister Olmert in 2008 – and several even more attractive offers made and rejected in 1937, 1947 and 2000.
Israel would be totally justified in this decision – since it is now facing a militarized Palestinian State that does not recognize Israel as the Jewish State.
For Israel – the refusal of such an offer would signal that it is time to annex Area C, retain security control in Area B – and let the state of Palestine exercise its new found sovereignty in Areas A, B and Gaza.
Israel’s national unity Government clearly signals that it is not in a mood to play the Palestinian Authority’s game any more.
Moving forward responsibly can only mean waiting out the impending implosion of the Allawaite regime in Jordan at which point in time, the fog will lift and the world just has to recognize that what comprises 80% of the Mandate for Palestine lands and contains a vast majority (close to 80%)of Arabs who identify as “Palestinian” is (and has always been) the Palestinian state. Moreover, should the world not recognize this reality (which wouldn’t surprise me at all), Israel must assert this reality and tell their Arab non-citizens that they must look to their political rights east of the Jordan River. Those Arabs who choose to continue to reside in the Jewish state will then have an address to go to should they misbehave. Well behaved Arabs should always be welcome “guests” of the Jewish state.
Lt Col Howard as usual gets it right.
I use an Haaretz’ editorial to illustrate some my areas of concern.
I have converted to underlined text those phrases that I feel are very objectionable, prejudicial and untruthful. In CAPS, I comment.{ In order to make my comments more readable, I have chosen one major area to respond to—recent Palestinian activities and statements concerning peace with Israel that are not covered adequately in Haaretz ;and thus lead to undue pressures on Israel that threatens Israel’s existence.
Netanyahu-Mofaz unity deal provides a great opportunity for Israel
Netanyahu’s new partnership with Kadima chairman Shaul Mofaz frees him of extreme right pressure. Now, all the excuses about how ‘Netanyahu can’t’ no longer exist – he must evacuate Migron and Ulpana and resume talks with the Palestinians.
Kadima’s entry into the government puts Benjamin Netanyahu at the head of a broad coalition of 94 Knesset members. That gives him almost complete freedom of action over the remaining year and a half of the 18th Knesset’s term. The parliamentary opposition has been dwarfed and neutralized, while coalition factions will have trouble threatening to topple the prime minister from power.
THIS PROBABLY OVERSTATES THE FLEXIBILITY AND POWER THAT ANY RESPONSIBLE LEADER CAN ACTUALLY EXERCISE IF HE/SHE WANTS ANY “REFORMS” INTRODUCED TO BE INSTITUTIONALIZED INTO THE NATION’S PERMANENT STRUCTURE FOR THE FUTURE.
Now, with the early election canceled, Netanyahu will have to decide how to spend his remaining time in office: Will he continue to run in place beneath the shelter of his broad coalition, or will he work to implement his June 2009 speech at Bar-Ilan University by reaching an agreement with the Palestinians and delineating permanent borders for Israel?
THE PALESTINIANS HAVE MADE IT VERY CLEAR THAT THEY WILL MAKE ANY AREAS THEY GAIN (THE WEST BANK, EAST JERUSALEM) JEW-FREE. THEY HAVE ALSO MADE CLEAR THAT THEY WON’T GIVE PALESTINIAN CITIZENSHIP TO “REFUGEES” (WHICH INCLUDES ALL DESCENDANTS) NOW IN CAMPS IN LEBANON, SYRIA, JORDAN, EGYPT, ETC. FURTHER, THEY WILL NOT GRANT CITIZENSHIP TO THOSE PALESTINIANS CURRENTLY RESIDING IN CAMPS IN THE WEST BANK WHO ORIGINATED IN ANY AREAS THAT ARE NOT PART OF THE NEW PALESTINIAN STATE (BEYOND THE 1967 BORDERS).
HAMAS APPEARS TO BE ENTRENCHED IN GAZA. HAMAS HAS A VERY GOOD CHANCE OF BEING ELECTED IN THE WEST BANK. HAMAS VOWS TO “CONTINUE THE STRUGGLE” AGAINST ISRAEL. ALSO, THERE IS NO ABATEMENT OF THE INCITEMENT AGAINST ISRAEL IN THE PALESTINIAN PRESS NOR IN THE PALESTINIAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS. THE ADAMANT REFUSAL TO RECOGNIZE ISRAEL AS A “JEWISH STATE” MEANS THAT WITH THE HATRED TOWARD JEWS AND ISRAELIS –THE DELEGITIMIZATION OF ISRAEL WILL CONTINUE– THE STRUGGLE TO ELIMINATE ISRAEL WILL CONTINUE. THE PALESTINIANS HAVE RESERVED TO THEMSELVES THE RIGHT TO RETURN TO VIOLENCE SHOULD THEIR DEMANDS NOT BE MET. THESE DEMANDS INCLUDE WATER RIGHTS
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HAD ISRAEL GIVING UP THE GOLAN HEIGHTS “IN EXCHANGE FOR PEACE” ISRAEL WOULD BE OUT OF THE GOLAN HEIGHTS AND NEITHER ASSAD NOR WHOEVER REPLACES HIM WOULD HONOR ANY OF THEIR COMMITMENTS. EXPERIENCE WITH EGYPT SHOWS THAT WHEN EGYPT VIOLATED ITS GUARANTEES OF FREE NAVIGATION ,THE WORLD LOOKED THE OTHER WAY. NOW, IN EGYPT, ALL PARTIES ARE PLEDGED TO “REVIEW THE PEACE TREATY WITH ISRAEL”
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CONCERNING LEBANON, THE UN AGREED THAT ISRAEL HAD PULLED OUT OF ALL LEBANESE TERRITORIES. HOWEVER, HEZBOLLAH STILL IS A CLEAR AND CURRENT THREAT.
IN SHORT FORM, ANYONE ADVOCATING NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE PALESTINIANS BEARS THE FULL BURDEN OF DEVELOPING AN IRON CLAD, FOOLPROOF DEAL. TO DATE HAARETZ, TZPI LIVINI,PETER BEINART, J STREET, SHAUL MOFAZ, YOSSI BEILIN, THE US STATE DEPARTMENT, ETC. HAVE NOT.