The Hands of Peacemakers
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak have agreed for Israel to host a delegation from the Arab League working group set up to promote the Beirut/Riyadh peace initiative.
From the Riyadh summit on March 27, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal stated that, "If Israel refuses, that means it doesn't want peace and it places everything back into the hands of fate. They will be putting their future not in the hands of the peacemakers but in the hands of the lords of war." Common wisdom often asserts that Israel has rejected the Arab League's 2002 Beirut initiative "out of hand." But what has been lacking since Beirut was exactly what has finally allowed Israel to reach this point -- namely, an Arab League diplomatic channel worthy of the name initiative. What's different this time? A way for the Arab League to actually initiate dialogue with Israel.
Ha'aretz reports,
According to Livni, "the present situation in Gaza is unacceptable," and emphasized that Israel expects the Arab world to support and legitimize the moderate sides of the Palestinian Authority, so that these moderates will have more political flexibility.
She called the meeting an historic first between Israel and representatives of the Arab League, and said that the Arab world had a major role to play in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"I do believe that the Arab world when it comes to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict is important. It can support the process, it can give Israel a political horizon and it can help the Palestinians make further progress when it comes to future agreements between Israel and the Palestinians," she said....
An Arab League spokesman drew a distinction between contacts with the ministers and direct contact with the League.
"We have made clear that there are conditions for us sending a delegation to meet the Israelis," said spokesman Alaa Roushdy.
The Egyptian minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said: "We do not intend to negotiate with Israel on behalf of the parties. The parties concerned are the ones who will negotiate with Israel, whether Palestinians, or Syria or Lebanon."
"But the Arab League, by giving this group a mandate, is working to set the stage, preparing the right climate.... [and] then pushing the peace process forward," he added.
Livni has really taken a beating in Israel's MSM after she announced that Olmert should resign then backtracked. One writer in Haaretz flatly states that the commentary was chauvinistic in nature.
Some people don't approve of her relationship with Condi and I wonder if the fact that Livni is handling the Arab brief is somehow linked to Condi's influence. Hopefully, this isn't a track designed to derail a potential peace process and Livni's career in Israeli politics.
May 12, 2007 5:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
lally,
Very interesting and a little scary. The first sentence suggests that Rice's influence may be stronger in Israel than in her own administration. While the followup suggests that this influence is equal parts smokescreen and set-up. Definitely something worth keeping an eye on.
May 14, 2007 7:26 AM | Reply | Permalink