Call to ease Palestinian boycott
A new report by the International Crisis Group states that the international community should ease the boycott on the Palestinian Authority and promote peace negotiations between the two sides.The global NGO, whose senior figures include the former Tory minister and governor of Hong Kong, Lord Patten of Barnes, and the former Australian foreign minister Gareth Evans, accept that the agreement does not meet the conditions imposed by the international community and Israel.
Israel, of course, has been insisting that these conditions must be met to the letter, an impossible task, which is why I personally think the Israelis made the request.
However, the ICG have stated that little has been achieved through the sanctions and has insisted that a fresh set of demands should replace the three existing demands that the Israelis are insisting upon.
The ICG say that the new demands should be "the release of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli corporal seized by militants last June, a comprehensive ceasefire and acquiescence in talks between the Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, and the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas."
Of the three new demands, the only one that would pose any difficulty for Hamas would be the return of Gilad Shalit as they are already willing for the second two conditions to be implemented upon. And Gilad Shalit's return would probably give Olmert his first positive press coverage since his disastrous Lebanon war. So there's something here for the Israelis if they are in any way serious about a negotiated settlement, which is something that I have always doubted.
As I reported yesterday, Livni has many problems with the Mecca deal, not the least of which is it's call for the implementation of UN Resolution 194. However, the ICG do not appear to accept Israel's view of the Mecca deal.
And therein lies the rub. Just how serious are the Israelis and the US about the goals they claim to be aspiring to? And how much of this is a game of smoke and mirrors to evade rather than to embrace negotiations?The report insists that the Mecca deal is a "prerequisite" rather than an "impediment" to a peace process, and points out that there was no peace process when Fatah was in control before Hamas won the elections last January.
"Without a Hamas-Fatah power-sharing agreement," it argues, "and as long as the Islamists feel marginalised, unable to govern and in an existential struggle for survival, there can be no sustainable diplomacy."
But it says that the coalition deal reached at Mecca reflects the reality that neither Hamas nor Fatah can defeat the other and the continued strife between the factions could "spin out of control". It acknowledges: "The opportunity is fragile: the two movements will have to show far more political flexibility and humility than either has evinced to date."
Arguing that Hamas has "the sizeable public support" needed to torpedo talks between Mr Abbas and Mr Olmert if it chooses, it adds: "If the international community is serious about its proclaimed goals, it will help bring stability to the Palestinians and broker a comprehensive Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire, permit the unity government to govern and press for meaningful negotiations between Abbas and Olmert."
The ICG's suggestions are eminently sensible. I have always argued that it is far better to negotiate with the organ grinder rather than the monkey. Of course, that supposition presupposes that Israel is interested in any kind of serious negotiation at all.
And, at the moment, all I can hear are reasons why Israel can't negotiate. This is tiresome. Israel's been finding reasons as to why she can't negotiate for the last forty years. This is a genuine opportunity for Israel to talk to both parties. For years Israel complained that Arafat wasn't doing enough when we all knew that Arafat had no control over Hamas.
For the first time Israel have the opportunity to talk to the organ grinder. She should stop procrastinating and seize the moment.
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