From Japan

The Japan Times

Middle East peace, not process

"The U.S. efforts, led by Special Envoy George Mitchell, have shown clearly that the current ruling coalition in Israel is incapable of doing the minimum required for peace. The Obama administration staked its reputation on getting Israelis and Palestinians to agree at least on security and borders. The results are mixed, at best.

"Palestinians complied with all Israeli and international requirements for security, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Israeli government, which gives lip service to the two-state solution, has yet to elucidate where Israel's borders will be. Meanwhile, the Israeli government wants to continue building settlements in occupied areas, in total violation of international law and the minimum requirements for peace detailed in the "road map" sponsored by the Quartet (the U.S., U.N., European Union, and Russia).

"The U.S. tried to bribe the Israelis — with $3 billion in fighter jets and political support at the U.N. — into suspending settlement activities for three months. Instead, Netanyahu stuck his fingers in America's eyes, counting on the Republicans' midterm election victory to help him afterward. Not only did Israel's leaders reject the world community's requests, but they also had the chutzpah to claim that they had convinced the U.S. to drop this requirement for the resumption of talks.

"Withdrawal by the U.S. from the current push to restart negotiations would send a clear message that bad behavior will not be tolerated, and would encourage Israelis, who overwhelmingly want peace, to force a change in their own government's position. Israel's Labor Party has consistently said that it would bolt from the current coalition if peace talks were halted. This would force at least a change in the coalition's makeup (possibly the replacement of the rightwing Yisrael Beitenu, headed by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, with the more moderate Kadima, headed by Tzipi Livni, Lieberman's predecessor as foreign minister)."






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