PREPARE TO SIGN
Ha’aretz Editorial, “Prepare to Sign”
Source: Ha’aretz (http://www.haaretz.com), March 11, 2008. Distributed by the Common Ground News Service with permission to republish.
Israel is conducting two dialogues in parallel. One with its back to the enemy and the other with a potential partner. With Hamas, Israel’s stance is to pretend “as if.” As if there are no negotiations, as if there are no understandings, as if Israel did not succeed in twisting the group’s arm. With the Palestinian Authority, Israel is making the right noises on cooperating to reach a signed agreement, even if it is labeled a “shelf agreement.” In other words, not a realistic agreement for now.
The two dialogues are leading to an impasse. Without a real accord on a bilateral cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, the relative calm characterized by the relatively small number of rockets fired against Israel will not last. Such an understanding cannot rely on hints; it needs the backing and cooperation of Egypt, which is meant to supervise its side at the border crossings. The understanding also requires the cooperation of the Palestinian Authority, which is party to the crossings agreement signed in 2005.
For now, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is rejecting any dialogue with Hamas before the Islamic group restores the Gaza Strip to the situation before June 2007, when it took over the territory. Without an internal Palestinian agreement, and as long as the crossings remain shut, the situation in Gaza will remain explosive and Hamas will continue monopolizing control over the next flare-up.
At the same time, the PA, which exhibited amazing powerlessness in view of the events in Gaza and the subsequent terrorist attacks, cannot offer the residents of the West Bank and Gaza Strip an appropriate alternative to their miserable existence. The talks with Israel are still not providing a political horizon, or at least a positive scenario that could encourage the Palestinians. This is also the reason for the PA’s weakness in dealing with terrorism, as demanded by Israel.
This situation, which also worries Israeli intelligence officials, may spark the outbreak of yet another intifada. Even worse, as long as the feeling persists that the talks with Israel are pointless, Hamas can continue to argue that only it can change Israel’s position.
In light of this difficult situation, it is hard to understand why Israel continues to drag its feet and does not reach a real agreement with the PA. It is not a zero-sum game that Israel needs to play, but an overall outlook that the government must first adopt toward its citizens. This outlook should define the permanent borders Israel seeks, Jerusalem’s status, and the settlements’ future. As long as Israel does not answer these fundamental issues, it is hard to see how it can conduct effective negotiations with the Palestinians.
Israel may argue that the force of its response in the Gaza Strip may deter and restore calm. Experience proves that this is a baseless claim. Israel must therefore utilize the current lull and the PA’s willingness to immediately push forward in the negotiations and establish the parameters for a solution to the core issues, to get an agreement signed quickly.
