by Shlomo Cesana
Did Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu add another variable this week to the diplomatic
equation? His statement, after learning that the Americans were
listening in on phone calls and intercepting the emails of senior
Israeli officials, among them the prime minister and the defense
minister, that the time had come for Jonathan Pollard's release, perhaps
injected a new element.
This is not about
Israel freeing imprisoned Palestinian terrorists, despite Pollard's
ongoing incarceration, but rather it comes at a time when the Americans
have spied on us here at home.
All of this is
happening against the backdrop of the release of Palestinian prisoners
-- murderers with blood on their hands. If there is no change at the
last minute, in a few days Ibrahim Juma and Suliman Abu Harbish, who
murdered Rachel Weiss and her three little children (Ephraim, Netanel
and Raphael), will be set free.
In 1988, these two
terrorists threw firebombs at a bus travelling from Tiberias to
Jerusalem. The bus was attacked in Jericho and caught fire. Rachel, her
three sons and soldier David Delarosa all perished inside. Juma and
Harbish are only two of 26 terrorists to be freed in the third prisoner
release phase (of four), which were agreed upon at the onset of the
renewed negotiations with the Palestinians.
The previous phase of
the prisoner release was accompanied by an internal government clash
initiated by Habayit Hayehudi Chairman Naftali Bennett, who opposed the
measure. Bennett "forgot" that he is a member of the government and
accused the prime minister of freeing prisoners when he could prevent
it.
It appears, however,
that this time the message, at least within the coalition, has been
received. This week on one of the local radio shows, Tourism Minister
Uzi Landau, one of the more hawkish government representatives, was
asked if the government intends to go through with the third phase of
the prisoner release. He made it clear that the terrorists would be
released as planned.
With four months left
until their expiration date, the talks are at an impasse. All officials
in the know concede that the chances of the talks failing are greater
than the chances of success. On the ground, the trend is already
discernible. Since the talks began in July, the amount of
terrorist-related incidents has doubled; six Israelis have been killed.
Is this merely a matter of Hamas and Fatah divvying up their territory
as they push toward the same goal -- the expulsion of the Israeli
occupation as they call it -- or is it an attempt by the extremists to
torpedo the diplomatic process?
The pressure is now on
Israel. The demand is to present a map with the borders of a Palestinian
state and to accept the security principles outlined in the final
status agreement. Netanyahu is not prepared to put a map on the table
for the time being. If I present a map, he says to U.S. Secretary of
State John Kerry, what other cards will I have left to play? Like Kerry,
Netanyahu is not interested in the talks breaking down and is therefore
agreeable to a one-year extension of the deadline. A conflict that has
lasted for nearly 100 years will not end in nine months, Netanyahu has
said in the past.
As for the security
principles, Kerry presented a plan prepared by General John Allen. The
plan, however, is problematic for Israel for two main reasons: Control
over the Jordan Valley and the option of operating inside Palestinian
cities.
As for the Jordan
Valley, the Americans reject the claim of Israeli sovereignty, meaning
our communities there. According to the Americans, an Israeli military
presence there is sufficient and that, too, for only a limited period of
time. Netanyahu does not accept the position that Jordan can be the
buffer to defend Israel on its eastern flank. He believes that the
existing border needs to stay the same, and that Israel's borders must
only be guarded by the Israel Defense Forces. The defense
establishment's demand is for operational freedom to combat terrorism.
In the meantime, there
is no agreement over the plan. "Kerry wants to win the Nobel Peace
Prize. It won't happen at the expense of Israel's security," a senior
Israeli official said this week. "There will not be an agreement at any
cost."
Kerry is talking about a
"framework deal": The Palestinians will recognize Israel as a Jewish
state and Israel will present a map with Palestinian state borders. At
this stage Netanyahu has requested not to present such a map. The
concern is that Kerry's proposal will be cemented as the position both
sides will have to adopt.
This week in the Knesset, one MK
recalled a conversation he had with the prime minister. The MK was
interested in "the question of stamina throughout the negotiations," in
his words. Netanyahu answered him: "I am prepared to be flexible and I
am prepared for a real agreement, but I won't be diminished by the
Americans, even at the cost of a clash."
Shlomo Cesana
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=6817
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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