Peres’ peace push in Washington is hopeless
-
Netanyahu sees the conflict with the Palestinians as a public relations problem and refuses to pursue any Israeli political initiatives. He believes that if he can just manage to convince “the world” that the Palestinians are to blame for the stalled peace talks, he will have done his job.
In recent days, President Shimon Peres has been busy defending the domestic and international stature of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. At home, Peres helped Netanyahu stave off criticism over his indulgent flights abroad; and on Tuesday, Peres traveled to Washington to present Netanyahu’s positions to U.S. President Barack Obama.
The reports from the White House were not surprising: Obama praised Peres, while offering recycled cliches about the opportunity for peace. The reports that came out of Israel at the same time, about the construction of hundreds of apartments in Jerusalem beyond the Green Line, were not surprising either, and neither was the U.S. State Department’s routine criticism of the settlements.
There’s nothing new here; everything is operating as usual. Netanyahu is buying time, the settlements are expanding, and Peres is talking about peace and backing up the government. After sending Peres to D.C., Netanyahu went to Berlin and Prague himself yesterday, in an effort to secure international support for his struggle against Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. The prime minister wants to depict Abbas as a non-partner and to keep the Palestinians from declaring independence in September, with the United Nations behind them.
Netanyahu sees the conflict with the Palestinians as a public relations problem, one that can be resolved by conveying better messages than the other guy. He refuses to pursue any Israeli political initiatives; at most, the prime minister hints at some vague steps he intends to take. He believes that if he can just manage to convince “the world” that the Palestinians are to blame for the stalled peace talks, he will have done his job. Netanyahu is hoping and betting that Obama, who recently announced that he will be seeking reelection, will not intercede.
This is a dangerous and harmful approach. Rather than paving the way to a deal with the Palestinians, it leads solely to an intensification of the occupation and the conflict. Under Netanyahu’s leadership, Israel is moving inexorably closer to a political disaster and an international boycott. The peace initiative put forth this week by former senior security officials and leaders in the business and academic sectors expresses public opposition to the prime minister’s policy of digging in rather than moving forward. Such opposition, and not Peres’ pointless talks in Washington, is how we can restart the negotiations and rescue Israel from its political crisis.
The day I heard the news, I was sure it was a news prank, from The Onion, or something.
I mean, who could they have had in mind for the prize in MEDICINE —
Jack Kevorkian?
It’s not about age so much as time in office (or on the political scene).
How are the mighty fallen!
It was a shared Pize with Mr. Peace and Harmony: Arafat. They deserved each other, They both in their own way killed thousands of Jews. I prefer the permanent type of retirement for those like Peres. The SOB will outlive us all and continue to harm us everyday he remains alive.
Peres also was instrumental in bringing the terrorist Palestine Liberation Organization into Israel in the 1990s, leading to the current state of war (He got the Nobel Peace Prize for this). Perhaps Israeli politicians should have mandatory retirement at age 36.
Peres Pleads to Obama for Pollard and Shalit
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
President Shimon Peres Tuesday asked U.S. President Barack Obama to free Jonathan Pollard and help bring kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit back home.
Following the luncheon meeting, President Peres told reporters his host “listened” to the requests.
Pollard is serving a life term for passing on to Israel classified information, an offense that usually carries a maximum sentence of four years in jail. An increasing number of American and Israeli leaders have publicly stated that Pollard’s trial and sentence were unfair.
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has balked at American efforts to sit down with Israel for direct talks and has insisted that the Netanyahu government in effect accept PA demands without compromise.
Tuesday’s meeting at the Oval Office in the White House comes one day after the Jerusalem City Council approved the construction of nearly 1,000 new homes in Gilo, a neighborhood of tens of thousands of Jews in southern Jerusalem but which President Obama calls an “illegal settlement.”
Who framed The Traitor Shimon Peres?
Just as the Israeli president was exchanging pleasantries with US officials, he was hit by two pieces of unwelcome news: Jerusalem municipality had advanced a plan to build 942 apartment in Gilo, Jerusalem, and Ehud Barak had reportedly promised to allow construction in a number of settlements.
Both parties appear to have an interest in disrupting Peres’ talks with Obama by carefully scheduling those provocative moves. One explanation is that they are trying to stave off Obama’s rapprochement with Netanyahu – which Peres reportedly is trying to mediate – or upset some other mission of Peres’.