Old tracks lead nowhere

February 5, 2007

Old tracks lead nowhere

THE ONGOING visit to the Middle East of German Chancellor Angela Merkel represents the strongest European Union (EU) effort at preparing the ground for a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
Obviously, the Europeans, who have had much longer experience with the Middle East than the Americans, have been prompted by the finding by the Iraq Study Group of the US that the prime issue that needs to be addressed in the Middle East is the Palestinian problem.
Althogh the recommendation by the group was directed at the administration of US President George W Bush, the EU realised its importance and relevance.
Of course, solving the Palestinian problem does not guarantee a solution to the other crises in the region, including the problem in Lebanon and the Israeli-Syrian conflict over the Golan Heights. However, Western goodwill in ensuring that Israel does not get away with its effort to impose its own version of a "peace agreement" on the Palestinians would go a long way in improving prospects for cooler heads to prevail while dealing with the other crises.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, whose country bears the bulk of the responsibility for having created the Palestinian problem in the first place, did try his hand at bringing the Israelis and Palestinians together, but did not really get anywhere, what with the divisions within the Palestinian ranks not to mention Israel's insistence on the Palestinians meeting its demands even before talks begin.
Merkel, whose country occupies the rotating EU presidency, reiterated the same conditions on Saturday as she began her visit to the Middle East in Cairo. Hamas has to recognise Israel's right to exist, renounce armed resistance and accept past agreements with the Jewish state, she said.
The German leader and most other EU leaders are overlooking or sidestepping the reality that Israel is imposing these demands even as it has pre-determined the outcome of peace talks: No return of occupied Arab East Jerusalem and no acceptance of the right of the Palestinian refugees. In the face of such a position, how could it be possible for Hamas to abandon what it considers as its trump card of refusing to recognise the Jewish state?
Instead of pressuring the Palestinians into compromises that undermine their legitimate rights, Merkel and other EU leaders should consider pressing Israel into accepting international conventions and the UN Charter as the basis for a settlement with the Palestinians.
In the meantime, there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel for hopes for an end to the Hamas-Fatah fighting.
In Cairo, Merkel stressed the importance of an end to the Hamas-Fatah fighting. Palestinian President and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas and exiled Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal are expected to meet in Makkah on Tuesday in a bid to iron out their differences. Hopefully, Merkel would be hearing this week that the two leaders have agreed to settle their differences and to adopt a common platform to advance the Palestinian struggle for independence.
However, that does not solve the root problem.
Without Israel explictly moving away from its transigence and blatant rejection of recognising and respecting Palestinian rights, there is little hope of anyone making any realistic progress for peace in Palestine. That is what the German chancellor would find out, and we hope it would be sooner than later so that the EU could consider accepting realities as realities in Palestine and act accordingly.