Treadmill Peace Negotiation and the Bang of
Hypocrisy
As the year changes after 365 days, for the Palestinians
2010 was another year of the same: Israeli occupation, oppression and
international hypocrisy. Ever since the so called Oslo peace process, the
Palestinians watch helplessly as Israel brings in illegal settlers to occupy
the very land, the international community and the Oslo understanding,
envisioned for the new Palestinian State.
The bang of hypocrisy rings from Palestine, South of Sudan
to the Ivory Coast as the international community prompts the Sudanese
Government to allow the South to vote on its self determination and threatens
to use force in the Ivory Coast to install the elected president.
Five years ago the Government of Sudan and
rebels in the South reached an interim agreement whereby the South was to vote
in five years on whether to remain within the historical Sudan or establish their
own independent state in the south. For the last several months the US administration
and Europe has been pressuring the government of Sudan to fulfill its
obligations under the interim agreement. In the coming 10 days, the South will
vote and Sudan will likely become a bifurcated nation.
Meanwhile, Israel which uses diplomacy as a
dilatory negotiation tactics - or the negotiation “treadmill” still has not made
any progress since 1993 Oslo accords. The Oslo understanding clearly called for
the two parties to enter final status negotiation within five years. But It never happened. The international
community never bothered to enforce it either.
Then in June 2002 president Bush came with a
three phase called Road Map for peace. Phases I and II spelled out the obligation
on the: Palestinians: “end of violence”, Palestinian political reform and election. The
last phase called for reaching permanent status agreement and end of conflict;
agreement on final borders, clarification of the highly controversial question
of the fate of Jerusalem, refugees and settlements.
Like with every non reciprocal agreement with
Israel, Palestinians had to deliver their obligation before Israel starts complying
with the agreements. The Palestinians carried out their commitments, but Israel
did not.
As before, the US throws another safety robe to
pull Israel from its hole by starting new treadmill negotiation process. The
Bush administration called in Nov 2007 to the Annapolis Conference which for
the first time, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister attended the talks. Again, Israel
received the recognition but evaded to deliver as they have done since 1993.
Then Obama came with his famous speech in Cairo
which called on Israel to stop building illegal settlements in the Wes Bank and
Jerusalem, the first time since the Carter administration. Yet his commitment started
to fade under the pressure from the Israeli lobby and now his administration
threatens to use the veto against a proposed Palestinian resolution at the UN
Security Council on the legality of the Israeli settlements in land occupied since
1967.
The US can’t force Israel to comply with its
previous obligations under the many phases of the peace process, yet it doesn’t
want the Palestinians to bring this violation before the Security Council. It
is the Same Council which is used by the US and Europe to force the government
of Sudan to comply with its obligation with the South; the same Council which
threatens the Ivory Coast with force to install an elected President. Hitherto,
the same Council refuses to apply the same international standards against
Israel.
Ending the year, 2010 with a hug bang of
hypocrisy.