Finally, the Arab League has presented their peace plan in flexible terms on the border issue. This is a sign that Secretary of State John Kerry’s energetic diplomacy toward a two-state peace agreement is bearing some fruit. The following summaries of two news articles are from J Street’s daily News Roundup:
Arabs soften stance on Israel’s final borders, Associated PressSpeaking on behalf of an Arab League delegation to Washington with Secretary of State Kerry, Qatari Prime Minister Sheik Hamad Bin Jassem Al Thani called for an agreement between Israel and a future Palestinian state based on the Jewish state’s border before the 1967 Mideast War. But, unlike in previous such offers, he cited the possibility of “comparable,” mutually agreed and “minor” land swaps between the Israelis and the Palestinians, moving the proposal closer to President Obama’s two-state vision.Livni praises Arab League land swap endorsement, Times of IsraelJustice Minister Livni, Israel’s chief negotiator with the Palestinians, welcomed the Arab League’s announcement, saying, “It’s true that there is still a long way to go, and we can’t accept all the clauses as holy writ, but sometimes you need to look up over the difficulties and just say good news is welcome.”
It is also positive that Israel’s chief negotiator, Tzipi Livni, is acknowledging this development, but we must remind ourselves that she is almost alone in Prime Minister Netanyahu’s new cabinet as a voice for moderation and progress on peace with the Palestinians.
Yes, the land swap idea has proven extremely valuable over the years… to Israeli obstructionists and expansionists.
Palestinians have been punished for accepting land swaps years ago as Israel has done what it has done all along, pocket the agreeemnt, delay and and take more. So 1.8% became the excuse for 5% which became the excuse for 7%, which became everything west of the wall which became… and the definition of the “settlement blocks” has expanded correspondingly.
It should have been obvious for years that what seemed an acceptable idea more than 15 years ago has just become a tool for Israeli land grabs and obstruction. Clinging to the idea that land swaps are a major part of the solution, as the “peace process” drags on into yet another decade, is nothing more than self-deception and an important contribution to further injustice and conflict.
Thus Meretz has provided for years and once again continues to provide a fig leaf for further land theft.
Ted