Netanyahu: Settlement Freeze--Not In Exchange For Pollard, But For Bush Letter (Update: PA Will 'Accept' 2 Month Freeze If Bibi Concedes On Borders Too)

Last month, the rumor was that Netanyahu was willing to extend the moratorium on the settlements in exchange for the release of Jonathan Pollard, an idea that Pollard himself did not seem to embrace.

Another month, another rumor.

Now it is being said that Netanyahu is willing to extend the settlement freeze in return for recognition of the Bush letter and what it implies, something that the Obama has refused to do in the past.

Here is the complete text of the Letter from U.S. President George W. Bush
to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, from April 14, 2004--and here is the key paragraph:

As part of a final peace settlement, Israel must have secure and recognized borders, which should emerge from negotiations between the parties in accordance with UNSC Resolutions 242 and 338. In light of new realities on the ground, including already existing major Israeli population centers, it is unrealistic to expect that the outcome of final status negotiations will be a full and complete return to the armistice lines of 1949, and all previous efforts to negotiate a two-state solution have reached the same conclusion. It is realistic to expect that any final status agreement will only be achieved on the basis of mutually agreed changes that reflect these realities. [emphasis added]

The implication of the letter, especially since it correctly refers to the armistice lines as opposed to a border, is that to some degree some of the settlements will remain in Israeli hands as part of a peace agreement.

According to AFP:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has asked US President Barack Obama to abide by commitments his predecessor in the White House made to Israel in 2004, an Israeli newspaper reported on Thursday.

Netanyahu "is demanding that US President Barack Obama reaffirm the commitments that were given by his predecessor George W. Bush to then prime minister Ariel Sharon," the mass circulation Yediot Aharonot daily said.

"First and foremost among these, the American support for Israeli annexation of the settlement blocs as part of any final status arrangement," the daily quoted Netanyahu as saying.
To convince his ministers to accept a moratorium on new construction in West Bank settlements outside annexed Arab east Jerusalem, Netanyahu is "trying to extract from the Americans unambiguous commitments," the newspaper said.

If this offer is really on the table, will Obama go for it in order to keep the talks going?
It's one thing to release Pollard--it is a one-time deal with no ongoing repercussions.

But to agree to the Bush letter will not only outrage the Arabs, who are demanding a unilateral concession from Israel--it will also have serious repercussions down the road on peace negotiations, both during the Obama administration and during presidential administrations to come.

So again, the question comes down to whether Obama, who is so keen on talking about the sacrifices that Netanyahu and Abbas must make, is willing himself to make a sacrifice in order to get the concession from Netanyahu that may keep the talks going.

I can't see it happening, can you?

Note: Here is how Ari Shavit introduces the idea in his opinion piece in Haaretz:

Here's a creative idea. In exchange for freezing construction in the West Bank for 60 days, the U.S. will renew the commitment President Bush made in his April 2004 letter. Bush's letter was given to Ariel Sharon in exchange for the disengagement. It consists of a vague commitment that when peace is made, the settlement blocs will remain in Israel's hands and the Palestinian refugees will not return to Israel.

"Creative idea"? Shavit is not reporting on the offer, but rather mentioning it as if the idea is his own.

Is he the source of the rumor?

UPDATE: How thoughtful: Abbas and his friends have agreed to accept the rumored unilateral concession--provided that Netanyahu will concede some more:

The Palestinians have accepted a US proposal calling on Israel to extend a West Bank settlement slowdown for another two months, top PA negotiator Nabil Sha'ath said Thursday.

Sha'ath said the Palestinians accept such a limited extension provided the two sides can reach an agreement on the borders between Israel and a future Palestine in those two months.

And the only way for there to be an agreement on borders is for Netanyahu to accept the popular misconception that the 1949 Armistice lines should be changed into border lines--a further concession on Israel's part.

One piece of good news, though. If this does not work, Abbas will resign the position his not legally held for the past 2 years:

On Wednesday, Abbas indicated that he intends to step down from his post if peace talks with Israel fail, Army Radio reported.

Speaking at a Palestinian National Council meeting in Jordan, Abbas said that it is possible he will only serve as PA President for one more week, according to the report.

Just one more aspect of these peace talks that are so surreal.

Technorati Tag: Mideast Peace Talks and Bush Letter.