Posted on 05/18/2006 3:23:23 PM PDT by Esther Ruth
EU wants US pressure against convergence
European Union opposed to unilateral withdrawal in West Bank, hoping Americans will convince Israel to renew peace talks with Palestinians during Washington summit next week
The European Union is hoping the United States will persuade Israel in talks next week to resume peace talks with the Palestinians instead of carrying out a unilateral pullout from the West Bank, EU officials said Thursday.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who arrives in Washington Sunday, has been hoping that the international community will recognize the lines to which Israel would pull back as permanent borders - but signals are mounting that European powers are not prepared to go along with this.
"It is the EU position that we want a negotiated solution" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said Cristina Gallach, spokeswoman for EU security affairs Chief Javier Solana. "That is the position that we are going to continue to defend."
On Wednesday, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said on a visit to Israel that a unilateral withdrawal will only strengthen Palestinian extremists.
An EU diplomat, who asked not to be named given the sensitive nature of the withdrawal issue, said Olmert's visit was "very important" because it might shed light on what Israelis have been calling the "convergence" Plan.
Few European diplomats believe the Palestinians would be content with such a pullout, especially as it will certainly deny the Palestinians a foothold in Jerusalem - wanted by Palestinians as their capital.
And speaking privately, European diplomats have also suggested that they feared that such a partial, and uncoordinated, Israeli pullout could lead in the immediate term to an outbreak of even greater chaos in the vacated territories.
Aid mechanism for Palestinians operative by next month
Meanwhile, donors and financial institutions will meet in Brussels next week to try to flesh out a temporary aid mechanism for Palestinians, still split over its scope and how it should work, diplomats said on Thursday.
Donors suspended direct aid to the Palestinian Authority after Hamas, listed as a terror group in Europe and the United States, won January elections. But fear of a humanitarian crisis has prompted them to work out ways of getting basic aid to Palestinians while bypassing Hamas.
Officials of the 25 EU states will meet on Tuesday and international financial institutions and donors on Wednesday to discuss the mechanism proposed by the Quartet of Middle East mediators, a spokeswoman for the EU's executive Commission said.
The Commission, which has taken on the lead in setting up the mechanism, aims to have it running by next month, but it remains unclear exactly what it will do and who will run it.
Some EU member states, including France, want a broad scope, channeling funds to pay salaries to keep health services, education and other social services running, diplomats said.
Others, like Britain, want the scope limited to health services, in particular emergency services such as blood transfusions, dialysis, bandages and training.
(05.18.06, 23:37)
There is no one to negotiate with. PA is at war with Israel. The PA leadership isn't there to build a country, its there to wage war. Anyone less than totally committed to war with Israel is pushed out or murdered.
Israel must make its own security arrangements, and by the nature of it of course its unilateral, you don't ask your enemy's permission before moving to protect yourself. You just do it.
Israel's only choice at this point is to choose, unilaterally of course, the border she is prepared to live and die by, and then get all her people on the safe side of it. And, then seal it. No one should have access to Israel by land, not for a generation, if arabs have business in Israel let them come by air by way of Amman or Cairo.
The one-way ratchet "land for peace" has to be turned on its head. Every violation of the border must be answered by pushing the border back. Every attack must cost the arabs in the only currency they understand, which is land. Any mortar lobbed over the line, any rocket, any tunnel under a checkpoint, any deluded teenager trying to smuggle dynamite in his waistband has to be answered by moving the line forward half a mile. Land for Peace has to be understood as referring to arab land.
Unilateral? Of course unilateral. These aren't Canadians we're talking about, these are arab terrorists.
I think they are right about this.
---------------------------
What you say is true, but what is overlooked (and perhaps not well communicated) is that the convergence plan does not rule out a negotiated settlement in the future. For example,
Israel is keeping the Jordan valley, but will not annex it (yet). This means of course that the future status of it can be negotiated.
After a decade of demanding Israel withdraw, Israel will withdraw, and they oppose it. What can you do? Just as you said... do what is best for yourself and defend it.
The Bush retort, as well as the Olmert retort, should be simple. If you want a negotiated agreement, make sure the Palestinians are ready to make one and ready to honor it when they do. Until then, stuff it.
If things get really hot, Israel can stop collecting PA taxes and even withdraw their currency, forcing the Palestinians to either start a central bank, or sign onto someone else's currency.
They are right, but so far the Palestinians have not expressed any solution, short of a "final solution", that they would be content with. They had a great shot, and blew it. Now as they descend into chaos and heading towards a civil war, they want Israel to negotiate again?
Let the dust settle first, then negotiate, when they are sure a deal that can stick will be made.
"Land for Peace has to be understood as referring to arab land."
Yes, land for peace should work for both the goose and the gander.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.