Renewed Israel-Palestinian Peace Talks Seemed Destined To Benefit Obama and Abbas -- But Not Israel

Barry Rubin writes about the apparent fact that on Tuesday, Israel-Palestinian Peace Talks To be Renewed in Washington

No doubt the renewal of talks will be greeted as a major achievement. It isn't. If two parties are forced to talk they are unlikely to succeed. Other motives are present.

Israel is being pressured by an Obama Administration which it doesn't trust, under highly threatening regional developments.

Rubin notes that among the items pressuring Israel are:

• Iran's development of nuclear weapons
• A pro-Muslim Brotherhood U.S. policy in Egypt
• A revolutionary situation in Syria where the Obama Administration backs hostile forces (though the forces on the other side are equally hostile)
• A hostile Turkey also supported by the United States

And on top of the pressure being applied on Abbas to sit down and talk with Israel, Israel in turn is pressured to once again make unilateral concessions so that Abbas will come and talk -- thus Israel's release of Palestinian terrorists responsible for the murder of Israeli civilians.

As Barry Rubin points out, the US is not exempt from certain pressures either, as it will have to clarify a promise that has been made:

It is unclear, however, whether in the formulation of the 1967 frontiers whether the U.S. government is proposing to keep its promise to Israel about retention of settlement blocs. That is a diplomatic ambiguity that will haunt the U.S. mediators since it will still be disputed either way.

Read the whole thing.

Benjamin Netanyahu -- How many unilateral concessions will be
squeezed out of Israel in the name of "peace"?
Credit: Wiki Commons

Since many expect Abbas will be looking for any excuse to pocket Israel's concessions and leave, there may be pressure on the US to backtrack on this promise -- one that was made by Bush and reiterated by Obama.

After all, when was the last time the Palestinian Arabs were ever blamed for pulling out -- let alone refusing to attend -- peace talks.

So when the peace talks break down, Abbas comes out a winner, blaming Israel for not making enough concessions.

Similarly, as Rubin notes "the Obama Administration should reap a good domestic political profit and praise."

And the only loser?

Israel.

-----

If you found this post interesting or informative, please it below. Thanks!

Technorati Tag: Israel and Abbas.