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April 20, 2009 - Vol. 10, Issue 31

PUSH FOR PEACE NOW; POSTURING ON THE TWO-STATE FRAMEWORK; RECOGNIZING A JEWISH STATE; TERROR RISES AS PEACE PROCESS WITHERS; LAUNDERING ILLEGAL SETTLEMENT CONSTRUCTION

PUSH FOR PEACE NOW: Haaretz's editorial yesterday, entitled "Peace Now," called on the new Israeli government to take advantage of the peace initiative being promoted by the American administration: "President Barack Obama's peace plan is giving Israel and the entire region a rare chance for real change; it must not be missed," the editorial pressed.

 

"Now is the time for bold moves," the editorial pleaded. "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government have been given the chance to surprise the whole world and shake off the meaningless past formulas; to respond to the initiative courageously and enthusiastically. Now that the dream of a Greater Israel has been set aside, even by some people on the right, we must hope Netanyahu will continue what another prime minister from his party started 30 years ago - Menachem Begin."

 

"There is now a president in Washington who wants to leave his mark of change on the world," Haaretz continued. "We must hope we have such a statesman in Jerusalem , too. Some Arab regimes want peace and normalization with Israel , and hope to rein in fundamentalism, as does Israel . There is no better weapon against fundamentalism than peace. "

 

"This is Netanyahu's chance to enter the history books; a right-wing prime minister who displays leadership and shows his people and country the way to peace, security and prosperity. We must not fear the plan's great scope and boldness; peace can be achieved with both Syria and the Palestinians. This is not the time to mention the difficulties that could block the path, it is the time to see the opportunities. So next month, when Netanyahu goes to Washington , he should join Obama's impressive effort and say to his host clearly: Israel wants peace and is ready for peace now." (Haaretz, 4/19/09 )

 

POSTURING ON THE TWO-STATE FRAMEWORK: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is famously refusing to endorse a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  But a number of Israeli political observers believe that Netanyahu's hard-line posturing is tactical, rather than substantive.

 

"In the end, Benjamin Netanyahu will recognize the principle of two states, and will try to wrap it in reservations, conditions, economic envelopes and sweets," wrote Ma'ariv political columnist Ben Caspit on Friday. "Bibi will accept the two-state principle just as [former Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon accepted the Road Map." Caspit quoted a high-ranking Israeli political official saying that "this will certainly be the end result," and that Netanyahu was "playing for time, not substance."

 

Similarly, Kadima Knesset Member Tzachi Hanegbi - who served as Minister of Health and Minister of Justice under Netanyahu in the 1990's - shared his prediction on Israel Army Radio that Netanyahu's government would eventually become more flexible in its positions on talks with the Palestinians.

 

Former Sharon Chief of Staff Dov Weissglas slammed Netanyahu's refusal to endorse the two-state solution as harmful to Israel 's interests.  "Any hesitation, evasion or attempt to be clever will only spark anger and invite pressure," he wrote in Yedioth Ahronoth.  "After all, the outcome is known in advance: At the end of all the contortions and delays, the Israeli government will ratify what was decided in 2003: If the preconditions set out in the road map are met, a Palestinian state will be established."

 

Weissglas also criticized the news that Israel 's position on this matter will follow a review of Israel 's foreign policy. "What is done cannot be undone," Weissglass wrote. "The principle of two states for two peoples-is absolute and concrete.  Israel 's sudden disavowal, in order to supposedly devise a different plan, does not inspire trust.  Clearly, Netanyahu did not wait until his election to formulate a position on the matter of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, and the request for an extension in order to study the issue is not convincing.  It is difficult to understand what kind of foreign policy plan, which does not include the establishment of a Palestinian state, will be acceptable to the Palestinians, the Arab states, and the world."

 

Even while Netanyahu conducts his policy review, two elements of Netanyahu's approach to the Palestinian peace track appear clear: his preference to focus on strengthening Palestinian security forces loyal to the Palestinian Authority ruling the West Bank and his talk of bolstering the Palestinian economy.

 

A majority of Israelis agree with Netanyahu that improving the economic situation among Palestinians is important for the peace process, according to the latest poll by the Tami Steinmetz Center at Tel Aviv University. The same poll found that Netanyahu's refusal to back a two-state formula is at odds with Israeli public opinion: 56% of Israeli Jews and 78% of Israeli Arabs support working towards a two-state solution. Pollsters Ephraim Yaar and Tamar Hermann explain that "the Israeli public thinks 'economic peace' is a good idea but not enough to achieve ongoing quiet and stability."

 

Support for the two-state idea is especially evident in this poll when contrasted to two other possibilities: continuing the status quo or establishing a binational state. 7% of Israeli Jews chose a binational state, 28% preferred the status quo, and 51% backed the two-state formula. (Haaretz, 4/16/09; Ma'ariv, 4/17/09; Israel Army Radio, 4/16/09; Jerusalem Post, 4/19/09; Tami Steinmetz Center, 4/7/09; Yedioth Ahronoth, 4/20/09)

 

RECOGNIZING A JEWISH STATE: During his meeting with U.S. envoy Senator George Mitchell on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly told the American envoy that "Israel expects the Palestinians to first recognize Israel as a Jewish state" before Netanyahu would be willing to talk about two states. Today, however, Netanyahu's office issued a statement denying that recognition of Israel as a Jewish state was a precondition for talks.

 

Netanyahu's demand for Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state provoked criticism from Dov Weissglas, who served as chief of staff to former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. "Israel is a Jewish state," Weissglas wrote in today's Yedioth Ahronoth. "It is the Jewish state.  It does not need the recognition of the Palestinians-or of any other country.  According to the Road Map, the final status negotiations are to end in the establishment of a Palestinian state, which must recognize Israel, as Israel has defined itself.  It will therefore recognize Israel as the state of the Jews.  The demand for recognition now is like creating a problem where none exists.  It is neither dignified nor believable."

 

In an interview with Israel Army Radio this morning, chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat explained that the PLO recognized Israel's right to exist within the 1967 borders, and that this is all that is required of them from past agreements.  "We have recognized the State of Israel's right to exist and live in peace in the '67 borders, and that's what international law obliged us to do," Erakat said. "That's what agreements signed with Israel obliged us to, that's what the Road Map obliged us to do," he added. Erakat also criticized Netanyahu for posing new conditions outside the framework agreed upon between the parties. (Haaretz, 4/16/09; Jerusalem Post, 4/20/09; Israel Army Radio, 4/20/09; Yedioth Ahronoth, 4/20/09)

 

TERROR RISES AS PEACE PROCESS WITHERS: Israel is experiencing a new wave of "popular" terror attacks, undertaken by individuals without a connection to terrorist organizations, security officials believe.

 

Four violent incidents over the weekend are contributing to this assessment. On Friday morning a Palestinian stabbed four tourists in Jerusalem. The same morning, a Palestinian armed with a knife infiltrated the settlement of Beit Hagai near Hebron. That night Palestinians threw firebombs at houses in the settlement of Beit El near Ramallah. On Saturday a Palestinian driver ran over two police officers north of Jerusalem.

 

Data collected by Israel's defense establishment shows 50 incidents of terror in January, 124 in February, and 132 in March.

 

What is feeding this uptick in violence? A high-ranking Israeli security official told Ma'ariv that "the increase does not stem from the decision of one of the terrorist organizations. Rather, we believe that the political standstill and the recession are causing individuals to attack, in what is described as popular hostile terrorist activity."

 

Haaretz Correspondent Amos Harel reported that in addition to the desire to retaliate for the heavy civilian losses from the Israeli military operation in Gaza this winter, "security sources attribute the escalation to a feeling among Palestinians that the peace process has come to a standstill. The rise of the Netanyahu government has intensified Palestinian concerns regarding settlement expansion and the prospect that the peace talks will not be restarted anytime soon."

 

While Israel's security experts are warning that the lack of progress in the peace process is a primary factor behind the recent attacks, the settlers are promoting a different theory: "The pressure being applied on Israel to help establish a state for these terrorist organizations only encourages the terrorists," settler leaders said in a statement on Friday. (Ma'ariv, 4/19/09; Ynet, 4/19/09; Haaretz, 4/17 &4/20/09)

 

LAUNDERING ILLEGAL SETTLEMENT CONSTRUCTION: Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is preparing to implement a policy that would protect settlement buildings constructed illegally on land owned by individual Palestinians. The new policy comes in response to a legal petition, filed by landowners and the Israeli Peace Now movement, seeking the demolition of nine structures built on private land in the West Bank settlement of Ofra. Israel's High Court of Justice is reviewing the case.

 

Data provided by the Israel Defense Ministry to Peace Now in 2007 indicates that 85.5% of the land on which Ofra is built is privately-owned land. The legal petition, however, is limited to nine buildings.

 

According to a report in today's Israel Hayom, Barak is planning to tell the court that Israel's policy is not to demolish any houses in Ofra, including those built on private land. "By so doing, Barak will, for all intents and purposes, be legalizing the existing buildings and will avoid clashing with the residents of the settlement," writes reporter Shlomo Cezana. Moreover, Barak plans on issuing an order that would demarcate the settlement's border and provide it with a zoning plan, in an effort to resolve other legal obstacles the settlement faces.

 

The article notes that Barak's new policy also bans future construction on land that is not classified as "State Land," including 24 homes on which construction has begun. This element of Barak's policy is not new. Israeli law already prohibits settlement construction on territory not classified as "State Land."

  

Ofra Rabbi Avi Gisser said he views Barak's decision as retroactive authorization for previous construction. (Israel Hayom, 4/20/09; Peace Now, 3/14/07)