Soccer Dad: Olmert Is At It Again--With Some Encouragement

December 4, 2006

Olmert Is At It Again--With Some Encouragement

Olmert, his reputation damaged by this summer�s war in Lebanon, is looking for a dramatic initiative to restore his image at home.
Sunday Times

And if you are Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, how do you restore your image at home?
Just by being Ehud Olmert:

According to senior Israeli sources, Ehud Olmert, Israel�s prime minister, will soon meet high-ranking Saudi officials to explore the formation of a group of moderate Arab countries to negotiate with Tel Aviv over the future of the Middle East.

...Olmert is believed to be considering a Saudi initiative, endorsed by the Arab League four years ago, as the basis for a peace settlement.
This would include the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and could lead to a formal peace deal between Israel and seven Arab countries: Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, the Emirates, Morocco and Tunisia.

So Olmert is at it again--but do you remember what the Saudi initiative entails?

According to Wikipedia the initiative would require:

Full Israeli withdrawal from all the Arab territories occupied since June 1967
Implementation of United Nations Security Council resolutions 242 and 338.
The establishment of an independent Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital
A just solution to the Palestinian Refugee problem, to be agreed upon in accordance with section 11 of UN General Assembly Resolution 194.
The normalization of relations in the context of a comprehensive peace

According to that same Wikipedia article, there are a few things that are left out of the Saudi initiative as well:

The nature of the envisioned Palestinian state
The nature of the "just solution" to the refugee problem
The level of militarization of the Palestinian state
The use of water resources
Access to Jerusalem and its holy sites
Access to other holy sites within the territory of the British Mandate of Palestine
Access between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
The dismantling of non-governmental armed groups within the West Bank and Gaza Strip
Border controls between Israel and the Palestinian state
The fate of Palestinian prisoners

Are we supposed to assume that it will be any easier to resolve these issues--especially the return of 'Palestinian Refugees'--after Olmert commits Israel to the agreement?

Is anyone else frightened by the prospect of having Olmert and his government in charge of negotiating these remaining points?

Are we supposed to assume that the Kassam rockets will stop once Israel signs on the dotted line?

Meanwhile, another of the more troubling aspects of Olmert's agreement to go along with this is that the idea may not have been his.

Olmert promised the Palestinians their own state last week in a conciliatory speech that he was said to have written himself.
Condoleezza Rice, the American secretary of state, praised the speech and her officials welcomed it as a promising sign that �a regional peace dialogue may be resumed�.
However, an Israeli insider said: �The truth is that it was not Olmert�s own initiative but a dictate given to him last month when he met George W Bush and Condoleezza Rice in Washington.�

This would go hand in hand with reports that Israel's decision to pull out of Gaza and not react to the continued Kassam rocket attacks that followed the 'cease fire'.

It is not clear that Bush is willing to follow Baker's advice to speak with Syria and Iran, but Bush apparently has no qualms letting Saudi Arabia into the picture and pressuring Israel to again make concessions.

At this rate 2008 cannot come soon enough.
And Olmert cannot go soon enough.

by Daled Amos

Technorati Tag: Israel and Olmert and US and President Bush.