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The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil,    but because of the people who don't do anything about it

Occupation magazine - Commentary Home page  back Print  Send To friend Netanyahu has never been a peacemaker Joharah Baker Bitterlemons 8.03.19 http://www.bitterlemons.org/issue/pal2.php The maxim `actions speak louder than words` may be a cliche but it is surely an accurate one when writing about Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu`s sincerity in reaching a peace deal with the Palestinians. Since his Bar Ilan speech last June, Netanyahu has been boasting of his `outstretched hand`, his genuine intentions to make peace with his neighbors and his stoic patience in waiting for a Palestinian partner to finally grab this incredible opportunity. Since that speech, it has been easy for Netanyahu to `talk the talk` because the Palestinians would have nothing to do with him. This of course, largely had to do with the fact that in all his `generosity`, the only vision of peace Netanyahu could muster was a demilitarized Palestinian state with no prospect of a capital in Jerusalem alongside an Israel whose Jewishness the Palestinians would have to clearly recognize. Enticing as this might sound, the Palestinians--taking their cue from the United States--were adamant that settlement construction had to stop before they would consider sitting back down at the negotiating table. Not much has happened that warrants optimism since. Netanyahu, apparently to keep up the flimsy facade of peacemaker for as long as possible, announced an even flimsier 10-month moratorium on West Bank settlement construction. Moratorium, in this case, must be used extremely loosely given that it does not include expansion of East Jerusalem settlements, construction already underway before the announcement or public buildings such as schools and synagogues. That leaves a whole lot of construction, which settlers were quick to initiate the moment the decision came out. But unfortunate as it is, Palestinians have grown accustomed to the ever-expanding colonies on their land. Even under the Oslo accords and the roadmap, which stipulates a freeze to settlement construction, the red-roofed all-Jewish homes kept popping up at exponential rates. The real bomb, so to speak, was dropped just a few weeks ago, a bomb so laden with the potential to blow the last semblance of normalcy out of the water that even the United States felt obliged to call for constraint. In a highly provocative move that was certain to call any promise of peace into question, the Israeli premier declared two West Bank holy sites part of a list of Israeli heritage sites. The Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, known to Jews as the Cave of the Patriarchs, and the Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque in Bethlehem, or Rachel`s Tomb, have long been flashpoints of confrontation between Israeli settlers and troops and Palestinian worshippers. Needless to say, Netanyahu`s announcement fanned these flames tenfold, with clashes occurring almost daily in Hebron near the mosque since. The fact that Netanyahu made such a controversial move at such a crucial time speaks volumes about his intentions. He is well aware of the religious sensitivities of these two places in particular and would surely have predicted the Palestinian ire at yet another Israeli attempt to undermine their cultural and religious ties to their own land. Yet, in classic Netanyahu style, he just had to push the parameters of what is acceptable, even to Israel`s most acquiescing ally, the US. In response to the declaration, the US called the move `provocative and unhelpful` in getting the two parties back to the negotiating table. Nevertheless, since that February 25 announcement, one major development has occurred and the Palestinian leadership will enter into proximity talks with Israel at the behest of the Arab League. The Arabs and Palestinians will ostensibly give Israel a four-month window of opportunity at the negotiating table before taking the case to the UN Security Council, the International Court of Justice or some other international venue they believe might help them put Israel in its place. So, the question now is whether such negotiations will actually bear fruit? The short answer is, probably not. Even if the parties return to direct negotiations, in all likelihood it won`t matter. Palestinians and Israelis have been on and off the negotiating bandwagon since the early 1990s and to little avail. Even with the most `dovish` of Israel`s leaders at the helm, Palestinian statehood was never realized. On the contrary: settlements not only remained in place but expanded while other damning facts on the ground, such as the separation wall and the draconian permit system for Palestinian movement, have proven that leaders like Netanyahu have a less than peaceful agenda in mind. The Israeli agenda involves the acquisition of the greatest amount of Palestinian land possible before final status talks begin, the guarantee of a highly militarized Jewish state with Jerusalem as its capital and a reservation-like solution for the Palestinians in a few patches of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu may not detail each and every step of this plan, but he doesn`t need to. It`s right there, in Jerusalem, in Hebron, in Gaza and in Tel Aviv for all to see.- Published 8/3/2010 © bitterlemons.org Joharah Baker is a writer for the Media and Information Department at MIFTAH and a former editor of Palestine Report Online. Links to the latest articles in this section Is there still a chance to break the cycle of revenge and bloodshed? Israelis Against Apartheid Statement Following ICJ Hearing Three weeks into the Gaza War - a somber and sober assessment, with some historical perspectives