A Blow to the Peace Process

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is continuing to build new settlements. Whoever sees that as a blow to the peace process is correct. Whoever wonders what is going on is naïve, because Netanyahu has always pursued policies that create new realities — and he knows that no one can currently stop him because President Obama’s position [of advocating for Palestine] has weakened.

Peace is a pleasant dream, but the quest for peace can quickly become a nightmare. The Middle East peace process has been dragging on for decades, unnerving the negotiators and the world’s most powerful president. Despite that, there is no lack of aspirants for his job — those who want to try it their way.

Despite doubt, the old motto still applies: The show must go on. Spurred on by that, the so-called Middle East Quartet met again in New York to try showing the Israelis and the Palestinians the way to peace. Amid all the strong hopes for a breakthrough, however, they seem to overlook the fact that good intentions and showmanship aside, politics always boils down to self-interest. Interest in achieving peace is currently stronger among the mediators than it is between the parties in the region.

The Israeli side was first to provide proof of that when it announced the construction of new settlements in the Arab sector of Jerusalem. Whoever sees that as a blow to the peace process is correct. Whoever wonders what is going on there is naïve. Aside from the usual peace rhetoric he has always used, Prime Minister Netanyahu has always pursued policies that create new realities — and he knows that no one can currently stop him. There is nothing to be expected from President Obama until the elections in 2012, when Netanyahu hopes for the election of a Republican protector. Bottom line: Netanyahu sees no reason to make compromises that he would find painful and domestically threatening to his power.

It does not look very different on the Palestinian side. Sure, they show great interest in having their own country, and President Mahmoud Abbas and his helpers are doing everything to bring it into existence. However, interest in going through an arduous peace process is a bit more difficult to see because, just as with the Israelis, it would mean a peace treaty waiver. In their case, it means giving up on the sacrosanct universal right of return for all refugees. Until now, no Palestinian leader has dared put that issue to a referendum with the people. Abbas prefers to take his case before the United Nations, hoping that he can get his state without giving up on the right of return. By maintaining his position, he seeks to keep the popularity he garners at home and with the entire Arab world, and he doesn’t want to jeopardize it by again caving in to Western desires and threats.

How the Middle East Quartet expects to get a peace agreement within a year given these conditions remains a mystery. But perhaps it’s only indicative of the frustrations of the mediators. That’s at least understandable.