An American Bribe for the Palestinian Authority

We do not know whether the indirect talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis, under the auspices of the United States, have really begun as planned or have stumbled. What exactly is taking place is unclear, or it is being hushed up.

The Palestinian official responsible for negotiations, Dr. Saeb Erekat, said last week in the presence of the American peace envoy, Senator George Mitchell, that these negotiations are currently taking place between the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Israeli Prime Minister through an American mediator.

A number of days after the statement, the Israeli group Peace Now revealed that the Israeli government was moving to build settlements in the Bab Al-Amoud area in occupied Jerusalem. Benyamin Netanyahu also announced that the holy city will remain the Israeli state’s eternal capital.

U.S. President Barack Obama contacted Mr. Abbas by telephone to request that he move forward in negotiations, and take no notice of minor Israeli “provocations.” He also demanded concentration on two issues in the talks: borders and security.

If we think about these two demands we find that they fundamentally correspond with those made by Israel, which are: refraining from mentioning the topic of settlements or any other issues associated with a final settlement, such as Jerusalem or refugees (i.e. right of return). This gives the Israeli government a free hand to go ahead with its settlement plans, without any impediments, particularly in occupied Jerusalem.

It is strange for security to be at the top of the agenda of indirect negotiations, since at present there are no disturbances of Israeli security, nor attacks against settlers in particular. This is owing to the Israeli security forces’ success in stopping all commando operations launched from the occupied West Bank, and having set out to detain all activists of the resistance, particularly those belonging to Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements.

These days, Israel enjoys complete security, with the exception of some civil protests in Ni'lin and Bil'in in the West Bank, and a limited number of attempts in the Gaza Strip to provoke Israeli patrols. Otherwise, the security situation is undisturbed. Martyrdom operations have stopped and so too have projectiles. Yet in return, the blockade has not stopped. The situation of two million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip continues to worsen.

Reason dictates that these negotiations should stop, if they really have in fact begun, and should certainly not start if they haven’t already. The time has come for the Palestinian Authority to adopt a firm stance toward deliberate Israeli provocations.

Some say that the Palestinian Authority does not have any choice other than to proceed with talks in order to avoid angering the United States, rather than focusing on exposing outrageous Israeli settlement policies before the world.

We would understand the above reason, if a return to the negotiation table spelled respect for the most important condition in building confidence: a settlement-building freeze. But if the Israeli side does not want to, and continues to execute its various plans, then it is better to withdraw from this vicious cycle of negotiations.

The problem is that the Palestinian Authority and its officials have become prisoners of American financial assistance, which they remain determined to continue receiving even at the cost of national principles. Perhaps it is no coincidence then that Washington’s announcement that it has set aside $500 million in assistance to the Authority coincides with Israel’s newly announced settlement project in occupied Jerusalem.