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Analysis: Palestinians Prepare Drastic Moves Against Israel And Obama Might Help Them
Times of Israel analyst Avi Issacharoff reported Monday that the Palestinian Authority appears to be preparing drastic moves that could spell the definitive end of the Oslo process that has effectively been stalled since the launch of the Second Intifada in September 2000 by Yassir Arafat.
The provisions of the Oslo Accords have largely remained in place ever since, but no progress has been made to come to a final status agreement that could end the century-long Arab-Israeli conflict.
PA president Mahmoud Abbas now reportedly plans to announce the annulment of the Oslo Accords and the declaration of a “Palestinian State under occupation.” He intends to do so during the upcoming meeting of the executive committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).
Abbas recently stepped down as Secretary General of this executive committee amidst speculation he would resign as PA president as well. The reason behind these resignations was said to be a certain “fatigue” of politics that reportedly plagues the 80-year-old Palestinian leader.
But now the fog surrounding the impending resignation of the PA president appears to be cleared, Issacharoff reports.
He writes that Saeb Arekat, the PA chief negotiator and newly-appointed secretary general of the PLO executive committee, is the mastermind behind the anticipated moves. Arekat is the author of an internal PLO document that detailed new Palestinian diplomatic moves against Israel for September, after Obama would finalize the nuke deal with Iran.
The U.S. administration has repeatedly indicated that, when the debate about the agreement with Iran is over, it will set its sights on a settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Arekat is considered to have the most potential to be the candidate for the succession of Abbas as PA president. His candidature, however, is unacceptable to Israel since he is the driving force behind the incitement campaign against the Jewish state and because he is responsible for the internationalization of the conflict. Arekat was the one who drew up the Palestinian plans to request membership of international institutions and organizations in order to ramp up pressure on Israel.
The decision to annul the agreements with Israel will be taken by the central committee of the PLO during the upcoming meeting. PLO official Ahmed Majdalani told Ma’an News in Bethlehem that the text of an announcement about the new relationship with Israel has already been drafted by the preparatory committee of the Palestinian National Council.
“The Oslo Accords, as well as the agreement signed in Sharm el Sheikh in 1994, are expected to be canceled. Also set to be annulled are an economic agreement signed in Paris and several pacts on security cooperation between the Palestinian Authority and Israel,” wrote Issacharoff.
Israel did not officially react to the reports about the impending Palestinian moves against the Jewish State, but an official, who spoke with the Times of Israel on condition of anonymity, said that the Israeli government is viewing them “with a certain amount of skepticism.”
“The Palestinians routinely negotiate through brinkmanship. If they don’t get what they demand, they threaten to jump off the cliff,” the official said.
The PA has threatened to annul the Oslo agreements in the past as well, the official noted. He pointed to the fact that Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stated his willingness to return to bilateral negotiations with the Palestinians but that the PA refuses to engage with Israel.
“By placing unnecessary preconditions on the talks, they make the resumption of talks impossible. Then, after preventing talks from happening, they run to international community and say no negotiations, crisis, drastic action is required. But it’s a charade.
“It’s time the international community refused to accept this charade and told the Palestinians that it’s time to return to talks with Israel. It’s the only way to move forward,” the official added.
Israeli commentators disagree about the significance of the possible annulment of the Oslo accords and the declaration of a Palestinian State under occupation by the PLO.
“It would also open up the opportunity for Israel to do whatever it deems necessary to protect its security and political interest, and could even cause possible termination of security and economic cooperation and other measures that are intended for the benefit of the Palestinian people,” former Israeli diplomat Alan Baker said.
Others point to the fact that only existing states can be considered occupied and “Palestine” has never been a sovereign state, they say.
But logic has been defied earlier in the international attitude towards the conflict and the Palestinian drive for statehood. The fact that the non-existing state Palestine received observer status as a state at the United Nations and became a member of the International Criminal Court in The Hague should serve as a warning to those who play down the Palestinian moves.
What is for sure is that the anticipated moves will not change the situation on the ground, some observers say.
In reality however, international pressure could force Israel into a position where it will have to accept solutions it would rather avoid. International pressure, for example, was extremely instrumental in Israel’s reluctant acceptance of the notion of a Palestinian state at the beginning of this century.
The same could happen with a forced solution to the conflict when the Obama administration opts to increase pressure on Israel by not wielding its veto power in the UN Security Council. It is widely believed this U.S. administration is capable of forcing Israel to choose between ‘ending the occupation’ and the annual package of U.S. military aid.
This post originally appeared on Western Journalism – Equipping You With The Truth
Source: http://www.westernjournalism.com/analysis-palestinians-prepare-drastic-moves-against-israel-and-obama-might-help-them/
