Kerry Betting On The Wrong Horses

by Khaled Abu Toameh
May 6, 2013 at 5:00 am

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/3699/arab-league-john-kerry

It has once again become clear that the Arab countries, including the wealthiest and most influential, have no influence on the Palestinians. The Arab League is an incompetent and ineffectual body that has long been ridiculed by most Arabs. It has never played an influential role in solving Arab crises such as the Lebanese Civil War, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait or the ongoing bloodshed in Syria.

The Arab League foreign ministers who met with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Washington last week were convinced that they had a mandate from the Palestinians to talk about possible land swaps between Israel and a future Palestinian state.

Ahead of their departure to the US, the ministers had met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Doha, Qatar, and discussed with him the land swap idea.

At the meeting, the Arab League decided to dispatch a high-level delegation to Washington to brief the US Administration on the Arab position regarding the resumption of peace talks with Israel. Headed by Qatar's Hamad bin Jasim al-Thani, the delegation which met with Kerry also consisted of Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad Malki.

Yet the Palestinians seemed to be surprised, following the meeting with Kerry, to hear the Qatari representative talk about possible land swaps between Israel and the Palestinians.

The Palestinian Authority's initial response was to issue a statement in English -- not Arabic -- voicing support for the land trade proposal. The statement said that this was an old idea that had been discussed in the past between Israeli and Palestinian negotiators.

But following strong condemnations from many Palestinians, the Palestinian Authority leadership took a step backwards.

First, the Palestinian Authority said that it was only prepared to discuss "minor" adjustments to the border between Israel and a future Palestinian state.

Later, as the denunciations grew, the Palestinian Authority took yet another step backwards, saying it was opposed to making any "down payments" to Israel before the peace talks resumed.

In other words, the Palestinian Authority is not prepared to talk about any territorial concessions to Israel before the Israeli government accepts the pre-1967 lines as the basis for a two-state solution.

Palestinian reactions to the land swap proposal seem to have angered Qatar and other Arab countries.

With the exception of a few Palestinian Authority officials, all Palestinian factions have come out strongly against the proposal. The anger has been directed especially against Qatar.

"Who gave the Qatari leaders the right to offer concessions to Israel on behalf of the Palestinians?" was the main charge leveled against the rulers in Doha.

Other Palestinians, including top members of Abbas's Fatah faction in the West Bank, have also lashed out at the Arab ministers for "offering free concessions" to Israel on behalf of the Palestinians.

Although the Palestinian Authority leadership had in the past hinted that it would be willing to accept the land swap idea, it is now obvious that it would never be able to win the Palestinians' support for such a proposal.

As leaders of Hamas and other Palestinian groups emphasized over the past few days, no Palestinian leader has a mandate to make any concessions to Israel.

Even worse, the Arab League proposal is being viewed by many Arabs and Palestinians as part of an "American-Zionist conspiracy" to force the Palestinians to accept Israeli "dictates."

Abbas and the Palestinian Authority leadership in the West Bank seem to have absorbed the message and are now back to demanding a full Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines, which were never official borders.

For Kerry, who has taken it upon himself to try to resume the peace process, this is all bad news.

It is bad news that the Palestinian Authority still does not have the courage to tell the Palestinians that without some form of compromise there will never be real peace with Israel.

It is bad news because it has once again become clear that the Arab countries, including the wealthiest and most influential, have no influence on the Palestinians.

Judging from their reactions to the land swap idea, many Palestinians continue to despise the Arab regimes, accusing them of serving as pawns in the hands of the US and Israel.

The US Administration needs to understand that the Arab League is an incompetent and ineffectual body that has long been ridiculed by most Arabs. This is a body that has never played an instrumental role in solving Arab crises such as the Lebanese Civil War, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait or the ongoing bloodshed in Syria.

It now remains to be seen whether Kerry and President Barack Obama will ever notice that they are betting on the wrong horses. Neither the Arab League nor the Palestinian Authority leadership has a mandate to offer any concessions to Israel or recognize its right to exist.

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Comment on this item

8 Reader Comments

Eyal Levy • May 10, 2013 at 05:35

It might be best to clarify to the "Palestinians" that they'll never get anything even remotely near what they audaciously demand, ever. They demand the meaningless '67 lines, but as long as they persist with these ridiculous demands they are ensuring that 100 years from now they'll still be in exactly the same pathetic situation. They have no right whatsoever to the things they demand, but more importantly, there is nothing in the world they can do to force the issue. The so-called "Palestinians" (no such a people exist) will eventually understand their mistakes when generations from now they see that all their efforts have been totally futile, and they'll only be able to cry about how they wasted their time in suffering instead of accepting their limitations and putting their efforts into the building of prosperity instead of terror.

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Alan Stein • May 9, 2013 at 20:08

Not only were the 1967 lines borders, but the armistice agreements specifically stated they were to have no political significance, but rather merely represented the places the militaries were at the time of the ceasefire. Hence, any negotiations based on the 1967 lines would constitute a violation of the ceasefire agreement. Hardly an auspicious beginning to "good faith" negotiations.

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D. Peters • May 9, 2013 at 15:37

"Neither the Arab League nor the Palestinian Authority leadership has a mandate to offer any concessions to Israel or recognize its right to exist."

Yes - we are all waiting eagerly to see who becomes the one with the political power to solve this enigma. That one has been predestined and has been named the antichrist. We are seeing the coming of the best part of the show folks. Even a Muslim writer speaks of his coming (be ashamed). Only one thing though, the whole world loses and God gets glorified by Israel, because he saves them. The Mandate only comes from above, or it's a lie from the fallen ones.

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Larry Snider • May 9, 2013 at 11:01

There is simply no easy path to peace. I believe part of the answer is in internationalizing the process by including other influencial nations and parties such as the Arab League in a multifaced approach that cannot so easily be sidetracked by a single negative action by any one of the numerous opponents. I believe lots of work has to be done to convince both publics that a real, lasting, and tangible peace agreement that provides freedom and security to both peoples is doable, and a substantive international investment in a program of twin national dialogues that is formally endorsed by both Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Abbas has to be undertaken to involve and gain the endorsement of a much larger percentage of the publics in returning to negotiation toward peace and two states. There is much more to do, and Secretary Kerry is only beginning to bring together the international resources to give peace a chance.

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Ken Kelso • May 7, 2013 at 12:33

Anyone who thinks the Palestinians and all the hate they've promoted over the years from glorifying the murder of Israeli civilians is going to accept a Jewish state not controlled by Fatah or Hamas is dreaming. This is the reality journalists and diplomats consistently ignore. The truth is that peace will probably never be made until Palestinian leaders do two things: stop teaching their children that killing Israelis is life's greatest glory, and start providing their people with a decent life instead.

It's no wonder that, according to a new Pew poll conducted on April 30, 2013, Palestinians are the biggest supporters in the Islamic world of suicide bombings against civilians (http://www.pewforum.org/Muslim/the-worlds-muslims-religion-politics-society-religion-and-politics.aspx#suicide).

The Palestinians are known for supporting murder, so there's no currently no possibility of peace with them. It's worth noting that 85% of Palestinians supported the close up shooting execution murders of seven Israeli boys in the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva massacre in Jerusalem in 2008. 75% of Palestinians supported the homicide bombing of the Maxim restaurant in Haifa back in 2003, which murdered 21 civilians - including two families - and left an eight-year-old child blind and orphaned. In similar polls they supported the mass murder against Israeli civilians. This information is all on Palestinian Media Watch (www.palwatch.org).

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George Weiss • May 6, 2013 at 15:08

Reading your article, it is obvious that Kerry's mission is really a mission impossible. If the Palestinians really will not accept any compromise, either on land or the right of return, what is the use of negotiations? Also, why should the Israelis not build all over the land, since they will never return all of it?

Also, was it not the Arab nations that encouraged the Arabs in Palestine to vacate it so they could slaughter the Jews? I guess they made their own mess, and now the Palestinians are convinced they can have it all.

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David Salinger • May 6, 2013 at 13:50

With the greatest of respect to Khaled Abu Toameh, who I understand to himself be a Palestinian and a writer of fine objective articles, on this conflict. Palestinians leaders do not want this conflict to end. They have over the past 65 years made a successful industry on Palesinian suffering. The aggregate total of all funds/aid given to them from all sources are in the billions. If the conflict ends, they will have to go to work like the rest of us. They do not know how to do this. A 65-year-old Palestinian knows nothing else but living on handouts, thanks to their "leaders," who want it so. Children are groomed in this industry from infants. Succesfully growing grapes, olives, and oranges for export cannot begin to match the volume of aid. As long as donors do not put stiff term conditions on their aid, it will go on for generations. But it will get less and less. Frankly, people on the outside - including the Gulf states - are getting all petered out on Palestinians, and are suffering from Palestine fatigue.

David Salinger, Trinidad

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Gary Katz • May 6, 2013 at 13:44

The way the Palestinians are demanding concessions before they'll even sit at the table makes it seem like they think they won all the wars. They may have good PR, but Israel is doing quite well without having to bend over backwards (or just bend over) to placate the moribund society with the terrorist, corrupt leadership.

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