A scandal has stirred up over direct talks between Palestine and Israel in Washington scheduled to start on September 2nd. The Palestinian leaders insist on launching the talks with the mediation of Russia and the UN at the highest level.
This is not the first time Palestine is irritated by how the Obama Administration “resets” its relations with Israel. The frustration was triggered by the unilateral announcement of the date of the talks by Washington. The move angered Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
He agreed to respond to the invitation only after four urgent calls. He said that he responded to a request by the “quartet of mediators” embraced by Russia, the U.S., the European Union and the UN to resume talks with Israel. At the same time Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu played down the role of the “quartet” saying it is insignificant.
Later, Palestine expressed dissatisfaction over the fact that the U.S. had prompted it to withdraw all its preliminary demands for launching direct negotiations. It responded sharply saying if Israel lifts it moratorium on the construction of settlements in East Jerusalem and Ramallah after the 26th of September, the dialogue will be broken off. When Washington demands that Israel make concessions, the partners of the Israeli ruling coalition stubbornly insist on ending the moratorium. In this case, both Barack Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu are risking their reputation. Judging by all, Benjamin Netanyahu will stick to his guns because agreeing with the Palestinian’s demand means his victory over Mahmoud Abbas is nullified. He announced this soon after his consent to visit Washington. Whatever it is, Palestinians understand all the negative aspects in a game on an alien court in Washington, says an expert at the Institute for World Economics and International relations, Vladimir Evseev.
“Many Palestinians view the U.S. as a guide of Israeli interests owing to their close military and technical cooperation,” says Vladimir Evseev. “This is the reason why the Palestinians wish to see the involvement of other players who are more independent than the U.S. In view of this, the Palestinians welcome the presence of Russia and international organizations. In this case, Washington will have to be more impartial,” Vladimir Evseev said.
Scandal over the clear cut domination of Washington in the organization of direct talks between Palestine and Israel reflects the realities in the Middle East. No matter how Washington affirms its readiness to listen to and hear both sides of the conflict, there would have been no massacre of Palestinians in the Gaza strip in 2008 by Israel without its connivance or direct approval. Many countries in the region consider the use of force to solve the Iranian nuclear issue insisted on by Israel as a challenge to the entire Arab world.
Clearly, after the exclusion of any contacts with Hamas for political reasons, Washington and Tel Aviv have created a situation when their verbal contacts with Mahmoud Abbas are perceived to be at dagger points by influential Palestinian groups in the region. In these circumstances, it’s unclear whether Barack Obama can reset Palestinian-Israeli relations, or whether the start of the talks in Washington will be the end in his attempt to bring the two rival sides to the negotiating table.
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