Soccer Dad

Diplomatic fruit

Presumably one of the gains Israel would achieve by disengaging from Gaza was diplomatic. The world would see that Israel is serious about peace and would stop pressuring Israel and start pressuring the PA. Israel would cease to be a pariah and start being respected.
Alas, so far, the record hasn't shown much improvement.
Herb Keinon reports in the Jerusalem Post that "Israel braces for PA blitz at UN"

the PA is also in discussion with the UN and the Quartet in an attempt to prevent any UN resolution acknowledging the end of Israel's occupation of Gaza.

Palestinian spokesmen have been saying repeatedly that according to international law, until Israel withdrew completely from Gaza – including from control of the air, sea and land borders – it was still an occupying power and responsible for the area.

According to assessments in Jerusalem, the question of control over the border crossings was critical for the Palestinians and for many in the international community who viewed Palestinian control over border points as essential for Palestinian economic growth.

As such there is some concern in Jerusalem that even as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is enjoying widespread support from the US and Europe because of disengagement, some might use the threat of supporting the PA in bringing the fence to the UN as a way to get Israel to be more pliable on issues such as the border crossings.

My friend Daled Amos points to a fascinating article by Guy Bechor last week, "Muslims exploit Israel." Bechor writes:

For a long time now, Arab and Islamic countries exploited Israel to facilitate better relations with the United States. There is nothing new about that. This is how late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat acted. He merely wanted peace with the United States, and the bridge to get there was Israel.

...in the past, Arab and Islamic leaders had to pay for this cynical use of Israel with an official visit here or even the establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel.

Today, there is no need for that any more: A photo opportunity with Israeli leaders will suffice.

Upon which Daled Amos comments:

How convenient. Now they can both blast Israel in the media and take time out periodically to claim that they are ready to re-examine relations with Israel, without committing to anything--of course--until Israel makes peace with the Palestinian Arabs.

After all, what under-developed Arab country would want to arbitrarily deny itself the possibility of American largesse?

(Daled Amos has a kicker at the end of his post, but it isn't relevant to my point. So read his post too!)
Finally, even America that might be in a position to help won't, The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs Daily Alert brings a statement from Natan Sharansky excerpted from "What will the Americans say?":

Whoever suggests bringing in the Americans to be the supreme judge on the issue of Israeli settlements understands nothing about the basics of American government and policy. After Bush issued his letter on Israeli settlement blocs, I asked a senior White House official in Washington if the U.S. was now ready to recognize the annexation of a single square meter of Maale Adumim, in return for disengagement. "No," came the immediate reply. "We will be pleased if in the end you receive all of Maale Adumim, but only in the framework of negotiations with the Palestinians."
To expect anything different from any American administration is to push them into a corner they don't want to be in. If we waited for American approval, even the Jerusalem suburbs of Pisgat Zeev and Gilo would not exist today. We certainly need to take American concerns into account, we need to be diplomatic and explain and not surprise them. When I was minister of construction, I phoned the American ambassador before every announcement of new construction in the territories. The response each time was: "We don't agree, of course, but we thank you for keeping us informed." This is how we should act in the future; to update them, to take them into account, but not to wait for their approval.
We must never forget for a second that it's not the role of America to raise the flag of Zionism. The task of strengthening settlements and building and protecting Jerusalem isn't their job; it's ours, and we can't transfer it to anyone else - even our closest friends. (Makor Rishon-Hebrew, 9Sep05)

So according to the first article Israel is still playing defense diplomatically, according to the second shows that Israel isn't even exploiting phony expressions of love and according to the third Israeli concession won't even bring shows of support from America.
Where was the outpouring of international support calling on the Palestinians to protect Gazas synagogues as a confidence building measure with Israel? The fact still is that Israel is defined by its enemies. The only Jewish state in the world still finds its own legitimacy questioned by a coalition of unelected kings and despots. None of these enemies or critics could be defined as legitimate by the standards they set for Israel yet no one else seems to mind much and the travesty continues.
Technorati Tags: Israel.
Crossposted on Israpundit and Soccer Dad.

Posted by SoccerDad at September 13, 2005 6:01 AM