Soccer Dad

The more things change

From Secular Blasphemy, this is new:

Abu Mazen's security forces have reportedly arrested three top terrorists after an attack on the IDF.

From Mere Rhetoric, alas, this is not:

The Palestinians yesterday rejected an Israeli offer to release 900 prisoners as a gesture to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, calling the proposal "insulting."

From March 10, 1997, "PA plans to reject Israeli pullback Redeployment terms rouse ire" by Jeffrey Heller (Reuters)

PA peace negotiator Saeb Erekat also slammed Israel's decision Friday to hand over 9 percent of the West Bank as a violation of a September 1995 peace agreement. Mr. Arafat has called the move an Israeli trick.

The PA insists that under the 1995 deal the first redeployment, expected this week, was to cover 30 percent of the area still controlled by Israel in the West Bank. But Israel has said a U.S. note attached to a deal signed in January put the extent of the pullback at the discretion of Israel.

Israel has already handed over 3 percent of the West Bank and most of the Gaza Strip.

Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai said he expected detailed withdrawal plans for the pending redeployment from mainly rural areas of the West Bank to be submitted for his approval today. He told Israeli radio the pullback "would begin immediately afterwards."

And Lally Weymouth in the Washington Post, "Terror in the Path of Peace" (April 10, 1997) described it as such:

Netanyahu next announced -- without consultation with the Palestinians -- the extent of Israel's first redeployment of troops from the West Bank (the Oslo accords stipulate there are to be three redeployments). Netanyahu offered to turn over 9 percent of West Bank land to the Palestinian Authority; only 2 percent, however, was to come from so-called Area C -- land occupied by Israel in 1967 and still under Israeli control. Arafat, who had expected as much as 30 percent of the land,spurned Netanyahu's offer.

U.S. officials were not impressed by Netanyahu's move, in spite of the fact that it represented the willingness of a Likud prime minister to give up what his party regards as sacred territory. One U.S. official remarked that the Israeli prime minister had promised to vacate 10 percent of the West Bank and that Washington had expected more of Area C to be included in the package.

In an attempt to be "even-handed," the United States sent a delegate to a conference convened by Arafat in Gaza. It was a mistake, as it allowed Arafat to believe he has options other than negotiating directly with Israel. Nevertheless, the United States stuck by Israel at the United Nations, vetoing two resolutions that condemned Jerusalem's behavior.

Ocean Guy is understandably upset.

The pattern shows us the Arabs will take everything they can get, while doing nothing to further peace, then they'll blame the Jews for destroying the peace process and will start another war/Intifada. It's worked well for tem so far... as long as you forget about the millions of Palestinian Arabs living being kept in poverty and ignorance while the thugs in power enrich themselves.

If anything is to be different it will have to be the Bush administration. The examples above I cited about the redeployment had the Clinton adminstration betraying its commitment to the Israeli government at the time. Will the Bush adminstration back Sharon or not? Will Dr. Rice prevail upon PM Sharon to release the prisoners Abbas wants to keep the illusion of movement alive or will she turn to Abbas and say "Nice start. But you need to stop being so easily insulted. Israel had good reason to jail those men. Israel is doing all it can to support you, you need to keep your own basic obligations instead of imitating Arafat."
Crossposted on Soccer Dad and Israpundit.

Posted by SoccerDad at February 6, 2005 12:27 PM | TrackBack