It is possible that the details of Secretary of State John Kerry’s peace proposal (as reported in the New York Times) are wrong. However, assuming the reports are correct, the Palestinians would be out of their minds to accept it. It is bad for Israelis and Palestinians and demeans the United States by reducing us to the role of Binyamin Netanyahu’s stenographer.
Here are the key points as reported in the Times.
First: the Israeli concessions:
It will release approximately 425 high profile Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails (the prisoners will be chosen by Israel not the Palestinians.)
Israel will agree to “show restraint” in building and expanding West Bank settlements. (Projects underway will continue and the restraint will not apply to expanded East Jerusalem, which Israel defines as extending well east of the city itself and where Palestinians are being evicted from homes and neighborhoods).
Israel will agree to keep the Kerry mission going through 2015
Next: the Palestinian concessions:
They will agree not to join any of the 60 United Nations agencies which they are entitled to join, preventing them from having any venue to protest the occupation of the West Bank, the blockade of Gaza and any and all other issues relating to their status as occupied. Most significantly, they lose their right to take their case to the International Criminal Court. All Palestinian complaints would be heard and decided upon by the Obama administration!
They will agree to an Israeli policy on settlements that amounts to nothing more than it saying it will “show restraint” and not even that on Jerusalem where it won’t. In short, they agree to a deal with no settlement freeze whatsoever, not even for 24 hours.
They will agree to keep the Kerry mission going through 2015.
Last: U.S. concession to Israeli and American right-wingers:
The United States will free the spy, Jonathan Pollard, enabling him to go to Israel, collect his million dollars in back pay, and-most important of all-become the country’s loudest and most strenuous opponent of peace with the Palestinians, not to mention the country he spied on.
That’s it. There is no need for any further elaboration by me except to say that I cannot imagine any Palestinian accepting a deal like this. No Jew would have, which is one reason there is a Jewish state. The Kerry “offer” is an offensive joke.
The problem is not Kerry’s making, or his proposals. The problem is with the parties, and their insistence on preconditions for continuing negotiations. The parties need to cut out this crap and focus on real issues such as borders, security, water, Jerusalem, and refugees. Unless they do that, Kerry can’t move them toward constructive proposals.
Depressing.
Not good for anyone.
Hope Obama/Kerry will come to their sense.
…….don’t hold your breath…………
Sit down together with authenticity of intent to solve problems rather than defeating “the other”. Do it without preconditions
The only thing that will work will be for the US president to say to Israel, “Stop the settlements. No freeze. STOP THEM! It would be a nice gesture for settlers to donate them to Palestinians with land for their own, but I doubt they have that compassion. Yes, both sides have killed. Only one side now occupies. BDS, whatever it takes, we must stop them. For Rabbi Lerner to do a specific article on how much AIPAC pays each congressperson and senator for the embarrassing clapathn when the PM of Israel comes to revel in his slaves. Exactly how much does it cost to buy one senator or congressperson? Of course there are genuine supporters of Israel as it is, Bill Crystal, Sheldon Adelson, and right wing Christians waiting for the rapture. Out the money!!!! Stop the settlements. a
And America vote FOR a Palestinian state!!!!!!!
I don’t know why the Palestinians would agree to such an agreement.
No one could agree to this plan, neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians. The Palestinian leaders would probably be killed for agreeing to this, and the Israelis could not count on the signatures of people who are most likely to be killed and their signatures repudiated a few weeks later. The Palestinians are not ready for peace. Their education system has been teaching “kill the Jews” from the beginning. So that is what their public wants them to do: to get on with the purpose of killing the Jews. The only solution lies in the mid-distant future, about 40 years after the Palestinian leaders change the education of their children, and their children – who grew up wanting peace – become the leaders.
It’s funny, how you say the Palestinians education from the beginning is ; kill the Jews! Yet the only ones we see are being expelled, jailed, killed, their land being stolen, their homes being demolished, their water being sucked right out from under them, serounded by tremendous walls of concrete,their movement is being totally restricted , their olive trees of hundred of years old are being up rooted are the Palestinians! I am woundering what education the Israeli adults and children have been given to commit all this crimes? It must be a very good one according to you! Its sad even with all the facts of who’s doing what, some of us just choose to be blinded by their own choice!
All these years and Abbas still willing to sit down with the US and negotiate. Negotiate what? And all these years the Zionists coming up with one obstacle after another and all the time stealing more and more Palestinian land. And the rest of the world? Quietly looking the other way for fear of being branded ‘anti Semitic’. And the Arab nations? Deafening silence too. So much for defending ones brethren.
The Israelis have the upper hand with the full support of the US, in all cases the solution( real just solution ) falls in the hands of the dominant ! The dominates don’t want to be expose to the rest of the world about their real intent, so the game goes on, till they steal everything, or find another way to blind the rest of us to their real intentions and deeds. The rest I’d just a bunch of garbage for the masses consumption to keep us busy debating, this and that. The sad sad part of all of this , is we are falling for this stupid monopoly trick, and debating each other !
I posted a reply to Mr.Hollanders comment yesterday , where did it go? If you find it can you please post it? Its good to have an exchange of views! Does my comment goes to your Spam, or you are just filtering ?