By Ira Sharkansky
JERUSALEM–Will someone out there tell Mahmoud Abbas that he is the supplicant and not one who can make pre-emptive demands.Not that I expect the message to get through or to produce results, but it is appropriate for someone to say that he is on the border of irrelevance, and is threatening to drop off the screen.
The latest extravaganza of Palestinian politics is his declaration that he will not begin negotiations until the Israeli government stops settlement activity completely, and recognizes the Palestinian state within its 1967 borders.
Leaving aside the nicety that there never was a Palestine with 1967 borders, one wonders what is happening in the circus called Palestine. There is, of course, the other niceity that if Israel were to agree to such conditions, negotiations would appear to be over, never mind begun.
My most rational assessment is this is Abbas’ way of getting yet another 15 minutes of media time. If anyone out there takes him more seriously than I do, perhaps he will have gained another mumble from decent people who will say again that Israel is insensitive or worse.
Yet another observation that aspires to cogency is that Abbas has learned from the Syrians. They have been saying for years that they are willing to negotiate if Israel first agrees to withdraw from the Golan. The pity is that many Israelis–some in positions of influence–seem to think that it is natural and inevitable that Israel will withdraw from the Golan. Meanwhile they can sip yet another glass of fine wine that Israelis are producing from the grapes other Israelis are growing on the Golan.
The expected withdrawal may never happen. The issue has been in and out of the headlines since the beginnings of conversations between Israel and Syria some decades ago. Abbas should learn that demanding an end of negotiations as a condition for negotiations does not produce immediate results, and may not produce anything. It’s not over until it is over.
There are some problems that the nuts of the world can cause. Tzipi Livni canceled a trip to Britain after a judge signed an arrest warrant, associated with charges that she violated international law as the foreign minister during last year’s operation in Gaza. The response of the Foreign Ministry was to remind the British that they, too, are involved in warfare similar to that in Gaza.
I have never been foreign minister, or anything other than a commentator on Gaza 2009 or Lebanon 2006. I was a bit more in Lebanon 1982, but I doubt that anyone will prosecute me for the lectures I gave to the troops. Or maybe not.
Laugh? Cry? Curse? Any response would be appropriate. While I’m deciding, please give me another glass of wine from the Golan.
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Sharkansky is professor emeritus of political science at Hebrew University